Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright
by dfcfanfics
Summary: Hawkmoth's latest villain strikes at creative minds - and, by chance, at Marinette. Tikki is out cold and sealed away, and in need of Master Fu's healing. When Fu lets Chat Noir choose a temporary Miraculous recipient, his choice is obvious; Marinette Dupain-Cheng. His choice of Miraculous is... less obvious. Does Chat know what he's unleashed? Now complete; thank you for reading.
1. The Fire in Thine Eyes

MiraculElse #7: Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright

(Timeframe: Present, mid-Season 2.)

(This is a speculative AU based on a Miraculous and a Kwami that haven't been activated in canon yet, so it's going to look awfully silly once they DO appear and my descriptions and names don't match, which I expect to be in Season 3 or 4 or something like that. So once the show reaches that point, kindly forget that you saw this. But for now, do continue, good reader!)

* * *

Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright, Chapter 1: The Fire in Thine Eyes

* * *

Marinette buzzed happily around her bedroom on a Tuesday morning, making sure every little detail of her school outfit and belongings was precisely as she wanted it.

"This class trip really has you excited, doesn't it?" noted Tikki, with some amusement.

"You know it!" Marinette bubbled. "The Rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré is where most of my favorite fashion houses are! There's so much history there, I'm going to get so many design ideas, I get to walk around the city with Adrien, all the shops there, all the restaurants, I get to walk around the city with Adrien..."

"I could swear I heard one of those items twice," Tikki grinned.

"Well, yes! I repeated the important one for emphasis," she replied, giggling.

"Always nice to have your priorities in place, I guess. How are you going to keep Chloe from draping herself over him?" asked Tikki.

"I think I've got that covered," mused Marinette. "I watched a couple of games of the French national ice hockey team this weekend. My hip check technique is on POINT! I should be able to clear some space without Ms. Bustier calling a penalty."

Tikki wasn't sure whether to be amused or horrified, so she tried out a little bit of each. Balance, as always, was an important part of life.

* * *

The students filed onto the school bus, separating into their usual pairings. Alya noticed Marinette's intent fascination with the back of Adrien's head, two seats up from them, and whispered in Marinette's ear. "Today's the day. Just hurl yourself over the seat, drop into his lap and sigh, 'Kiss me, loverboy!'"

"Yeah..." Marinette murmured. "Yeah, I could... hey, wait, WHAT? ALYA!"

Alya burst into laughter. "It was just a thought. I think the direct approach is the only one you haven't tried yet."

"I know," moped Marinette. "Also the most impossible. I'd seduce him so gracefully that he'd react like someone dropped a dead raccoon in his lap."

"You might be surprised, girl! I keep telling you, I'm sure one reason Adrien doesn't notice you like that is that he doesn't realize you've noticed HIM like that! Sometimes when you know who and what you want, you have to turn down the giggles and the blushes and just pounce," Alya suggested.

"Like how you got Nino?" Marinette smiled.

"That was a little... different," Alya replied. "I mean, it's POSSIBLE that Ladybug will lock you and Adrien in a zoo cage together... but I wouldn't bet on that. Maybe you could send her a letter, or something. 'Dear Ladybug, I need you to yo-yo my crush and I together for a few hours, and don't peek at what happens next...'"

 _Do NOT give me these ideas!_ thought Marinette. _"Adrien, it's VITAL for the safety of all of Paris that you wrap yourself around the next girl who comes through that door, and kiss her for at least three hours. I'm just going in the other room for a moment..."_

* * *

The observation window in Hawkmoth's lair opened slowly, as it had dozens of times before. A tall, imposing figure considered his options amongst Paris's potential victims.

One in particular caught his wandering eye... an artist, frustrated and angry, staring at a blank canvas with absolutely no idea of what she'd want to put on it. The same stare said canvas had been receiving from her for days, at intervals...

"This has potential," mused Hawkmoth. "Ladybug conquers my villains through luck and creativity. Perhaps attacking her at her strength, rather than searching for her weaknesses could prove successful..."

He closed his hands on a butterfly, pumping it full of sinister purple energy, then sent it to corrupt his chosen target. "Go, my little Akuma... and EVILIZE her!"

* * *

Abby Christophe sat in her loft, motionless. Her sketchpads and canvas also sat in her loft, motionless. The canvas couldn't give her a withering and disdainful look, not having eyes of its own, but she swore that it would've if it could've.

Something a friend once told her came to her mind - _Getting a creative idea once is easy. Doing it often is hard. Doing it on a deadline is murder._ Well, that was too true; her deadline was staring her in the face, her rent depended on the paycheck from this project, and she had absolutely no ideas in her head as to what to start painting, let alone how to finish.

The colors of the rainbow lay untouched on her palette. The tip of the paintbrush in her hand was a plain brown... then, suddenly, it flashed bright purple.

"Psiphon! I am Hawkmoth," intoned a deep voice. "The demands society makes on we creative types are exhausting; I am no stranger to that, myself! I will be your muse today. I grant you the power to seize energy from others, to fuel your creative passions and stimulate your mind. I ask only a small favor in return - send me Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculouses and the entire world will be your canvas..."

"Thank you, Hawkmoth," she replied, "Perhaps the experience will be... inspiring..." as the purple energy transformed her body.

* * *

At lunchtime, the classmates split into small groups and migrated to the restaurants along the street. Marinette and Alya picked a small creperie, and were joined by Ms. Bustier and a few of the other students. The boys mostly settled on an Italian place a slight distance away.

Alya asked Marinette what she thought of what they'd seen on the Dior tour, then if she felt okay, then if it would be all right if someone stuck a live fish in her ear. "Mmm-hmmm," Marinette agreed each time, her attention focused on a familiar blonde head currently making a slice of pizza disappear.

Alya grinned at her teacher, who couldn't help overhearing their sort-of-conversation, and shrugged as if to say _You see what I have to deal with?_

Ms. Bustier put a finger to her lips, smiling, then leaned forward quietly next to Marinette. "The local attractions certainly are beautiful, aren't they?" she murmured in Marinette's ear.

"Yeah... especially that one..." replied Marinette, dreamily, then jumped with a little squeal when she realized who had said it. "I... uh..." she stammered.

"Your friend was trying to talk to you, just now," her teacher noted gently, then went back to her coffee with a knowing grin.

"You COULD'VE just, like, whacked me on the arm or something," grumbled the lovesick girl.

"And what fun would that be?" Alya giggled. "Besides, my limit on trying to break an Adrien Trance is three times; after that, I call in the cavalry."

"NOW MS. BUSTIER KNOWS ABOUT MY CRUSH!" hissed Marinette. She watched Alya's _Really?_ expression in response and her eyes went big. "She already knew? _How?_ I - Oh! - She - Now I have to transfer to another school!" she panicked.

"She's watched you sit there, five days a week, memorizing every detail of Adrien's existence. You've named and numbered the hairs on the back of his head. You really think that there's anyone who _doesn't_ know who's not named Adrien?" lectured Alya.

Ms. Bustier kept her eyes straight ahead and suppressed a little laugh, hearing all of this behind her. _Child, oh, how I wish I could help,_ she thought to herself. _Boys at this age... g_ _ive him a year or two to mature, Marinette, and he'll be curling up at your feet. I promise._

"Okay, so... you do remember any of the Dior tour, right?" continued Alya, dutifully.

"Of course I do," Marinette assured her. "Even I'm not THAT obsessed."

* * *

The girls discussed the finer points of fashion for a few more minutes, until a strange sight behind Marinette caught Alya's attention.

"Maybe it's just me...," Alya stammered, pointing, "but THAT'S not a Dolce and Gabbana outfit, is it?"

Marinette turned, quickly, and a chill ran through her. A slim woman in a hooded hot pink ensemble was casually strolling down the middle of the street, tendrils of pinkish energy reaching from her head and dropping whoever they touched where they stood.

 _This is NOT good,_ Marinette worried. _I have Alya AND Ms. Bustier right next to me! Maybe they'll scatter, and then I can get away to transf-_

"DOWN, children!" her teacher called out to the girls near her. "Over here where I can keep track of you! We'll stay low, and let her pass by."

 _So much for that..._

Three other classmates huddled close, trying to squeeze under a table. Marinette caught a glimpse of the boys across the way scattering. _Good! At least Adrien can get clear. If anything happened to him..._

"Settle down, everyone!" the villain called to those around her, in a singsong voice. "Psiphon doesn't want your money or your life. Just a little brainpower that none of you are using at the moment..."

* * *

Across the street, Adrien darted through some alleyways, trying to get out of sight as quickly as possible. "You know, Plagg... one of these days, my friends are going to say, 'That Adrien, every time there's danger, he never sticks around to help."

Plagg popped his head out of Adrien's pocket and retorted, "But you know how much MORE you can do as Chat Noir. Or you could stay there and get zapped with everyone else, and then what?"

"I know, I know... Think this is far enough?" He looked in all directions and saw no one following him. "Plagg... CLAWS OUT!"

* * *

Marinette curled up under a table, trembling a bit. _This feels so unnatural. I should be out there stopping this villain, not cowering and powerless. But how am I going to get away from my friends and Ms. Bustier without being noticed?_

She heard the villain casually taunting those she chose to target, slowly getting closer to her group...

Suddenly, the table she was under was flung away by a burst of pink energy. Marinette fell over, while her friends scattered as best they could. She looked up and saw Psiphon grinning down at her. "You look tasty!" the villain crowed. "A nice dessert of creative thoughts for me."

"I'd give you indigestion! Honest," Marinette stammered, trying to figure out where or how to run. "Aaaagh!" A pink tendril grabbed her by the back of her neck and lifted her up gently, her feet several inches off the ground, kicking at the air.

"There's something strange about you, young lady..." pondered Psiphon, with a finger on her chin. "No, not about YOU specifically... something near you? Let's see what it is!"

* * *

Chat Noir leapt across a series of rooftops, intent on returning to the villain sighting as quickly as possible. He reached the edge of a three-story overlooking the Rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré, looked down to survey the situation... and saw Marinette Dupain-Cheng held aloft by a pink tendril, helpless!

"NO! Leave her alone!" he shouted, diving in their direction... but he was too late, as he saw pink energy engulf her body.

* * *

Marinette managed a weak scream as she felt Psiphon's attack hit her, expecting to be battered and pummeled. Somehow... it wasn't any kind of physical beating, but it was worse than that. She felt like Psiphon had stuck a straw into her side and was sucking out her all of her will and desire. Her SELF.

Psiphon's eyes widened as she felt the incoming waves of energy... and then the barrage stopped abruptly. "You're quite the rich source, kid... but whatever's in your PURSE is so much... more!" she marveled.

"NO," Marinette mumbled, and tried to cover her purse with her own body, but a more narrow tendril reached out and struck it directly. Marinette heard a tiny scream from within it.

 _TIKKI! NO! What is she doing to you?_

Psiphon wavered... seemingly overwhelmed by the strength of the energy transfer... then yelped in pain as a hurled baton hit the back of her head.

"GET! OFF! OF! HER!" screamed Chat, punctuating each word with a kick or claw thrust, driving Psiphon backwards. He was furious, angrier than Marinette could ever remember seeing him.

"Whoa, there!" Psiphon muttered, pushing Chat backwards with a pink telekinetic shove. "You know, normally I'd be glad you showed up... since I need your Miraculous, and all that... but right now I'm..." The villain staggered, slightly. "Full, I guess you could say. What a rush!"

Psiphon looked at the fallen Marinette, who was gazing up at her with bleary eyes. "Okay, YOU... I'll remember you," she grinned. "That was intense! As for you, pussycat..."

A telekinetic wave shoved Chat Noir down the street, then propelled her in the opposite direction. "Next time, your turn!" she called out, fading quickly into the distance.

Chat considered chasing her down, but attending to Marinette was a bigger priority for him. He cradled her gently, asking, "Are you all right?"

"Kind of..." mumbled Marinette. "Did you get the number of that truck?"

She peeked into her purse, and did her best not to jump in alarm; instead of her tiny red companion's familiar presence, she saw a cloudy, opaque ball in her place.

* * *

Wayzz, Master Fu's loyal Kwami, flew to him quickly in a panic. "MASTER! Something terrible has happened!"

"What do you sense, Wayzz?" Master Fu asked, rousing himself from the meditative state he had been in.

"Tikki... has been sealed off from this plane of existence!" Wayzz fretted. "I can no longer sense her in any way!"

"Sealed?" Fu frowned. "Not sleeping, as when a Miraculous is renounced by its owner?"

"No, this is something different. I sensed some kind of rupture of her aura from afar... then nothing."

"Hmmm," the old man pondered. "Perhaps Hawkmoth has finally struck at Marinette, rather than at Ladybug... I pray that is not the case! We will wait here - if Marinette has her wits about her, this is where she will come, just as when Tikki fell ill before. If she does not... we must find her, quickly."

* * *

Chat and Ms. Bustier checked Marinette over, then let a paramedic do the same. They couldn't find anything physically wrong with her, other than her obvious grogginess. Marinette kept an iron grip on her purse, but otherwise seemed pretty normal, just sleepy.

"Can I get you home, Marinette? Or to a doctor?"

 _I have to get Tikki to Master Fu's, as soon as possible!_

"Actually... there is someone my mother's gone to for years, not too far from here! I'm sure that's who she would take me to see... so if you could drop me off, I'll call my mother from there, and she can pick me up once he looks me over!" suggested Marinette.

"He's a doctor?" asked Ms. Bustier, with concern.

"Yes and no? It depends on your definition," Marinette evaded. "Eastern medicine, not Western. My mother is Chinese, after all. I mean, I'll be happy to go see a Western doctor later, too... but he's right nearby, and he's REALLY good."

"If you're sure..." her teacher replied. "Chat Noir, could you take her there?"

"My pleasure," Chat said. He scooped Marinette up, bridal-style, and asked her, "Which way is it?"

Marinette whispered an address to him, and the pair were quickly up and moving.

Once Chat reached the corner she'd told him, Marinette hopped out of Chat's arms and smiled warmly. "That's perfect, Chat! Thank you so much," she beamed.

"This... is the place?" Chat asked, with a curious expression.

"Yeah - it's that building right over there," Marinette said, pointing at a small office nearby. "Stop by later, and I'll tell you how it goes." She hugged him, briefly, and whispered, "Thanks again, Kitty."

"Any time, Princess," he smiled back. "Be well for me."

Once he was satisfied that she was remaining upright on her own, he bounced to the nearest rooftop, intent on getting back before Ms. Bustier noticed yet another student missing from her flock.

Marinette sighed with relief... relaxed her guard, looking once more as drained as she really felt... and turned and crossed the street to a different building, a therapy studio belonging to a certain Wang Fu.

* * *

"Master, she is here!" Wayzz did everything but open the door himself, buzzing with concern.

"Master Fu..." Marinette stumbled, wearily, into the front room.

"My goodness! Come, come. You need to lie down, Marinette." He locked the door and hung a CLOSED sign on it, then helped her to the back and had her stretch out on one of the therapy tables.

"Not... me... Heal Tikki." She gestured to her purse.

Master Fu reached in and extracted the ball presumably containing Tikki, with a look of extreme concern on his face. "You both need to rest. Wayzz, please help make Marinette comfortable! I will see what I can do for Tikki."

For the next hour, Master Fu buzzed back and forth, aiding both of the fallen. The herbs and remedies he brought Marinette boosted her energy and spirits a fair amount, though each time she asked about Tikki, he was evasive. "I am still evaluating her," he'd say, which was a far cry from the "she's improving" that she needed to hear.

Finally, he came into the room with Marinette and sat down, dejected. "It is not hopeless. But it is also not good."

Marinette tried to sit up, did so too quickly and held her head, a little dizzy again. "What's wrong? Will she be okay?"

"In time. In part. Be calm, Marinette." The old man's face was steady. "The attack had some mystical properties that affected Tikki. You said the villain boasted of draining mental energy? Tapping into an avatar of creation itself must've been her wildest dream come true. No wonder she focused on Tikki!"

"I tried to protect her..." she whimpered.

"I know you did, child. You did everything you could. I have stabilized Tikki, and she is not in further danger. The one good thing is that the shell around Tikki is of her own doing, not something from her attacker."

"It is?" Marinette looked quizzical. "Why would she do that?"

"The attack drained some of Tikki's core energy. It can replenish itself, over time... but while she is weakened, her own magic has sealed herself off, like a cocoon," Master Fu explained. "She has just enough inside the barrier to maintain her own existence, and not much more than that! She is resting peacefully in a trance state, so as not to consume what remains."

He sighed. "I thank you for being wise enough not to transform back to Ladybug while Tikki was in this state. It would likely have consumed her entirely, and the backlash might have consumed you as well!"

"Wow! I'm glad we avoided THAT," murmured Marinette. "What else can we do to help her?"

"I will do what I can to boost her energy, but the draining effect is tied to the villain's power. Chat Noir must defeat him or her and free the Akuma for me to stand a real chance. Otherwise, she might remain like this indefinitely, or her rebuilding her power fully in this state could take years. Perhaps decades."

Marinette's eyes went wide. "What can... I do, Master? I want to help..."

"You can go home and rest, Marinette," Master Fu soothed. "You took part of that blast yourself. The world will need Ladybug soon enough. Regain your strength; I will let you know when Tikki has awakened, and I will contact Chat Noir myself and assist him."

Reluctantly, she allowed Master Fu to help her up and walk her to the door. "Are you going to be all right getting home, Marinette?" he asked, with visible concern.

"I am, thank you," Marinette replied. "Whatever was in those compounds you used on me packs quite a whammy! I feel quite a bit stronger than I did when I came in."

"It's actually pretty similar to what I used to stabilize Tikki," he said. "Though I'll do you a favor and not tell you what the ingredients are... or at least the half of them that you can't get at Tesco."

* * *

At home, Marinette allowed her mother to fuss over her nervously - it's not every day that one's daughter gets zapped by a supervillain, after all - and went upstairs to take a much-needed nap.

 _It just feels so WRONG not having Tikki_ _here,_ she thought. _I know she's in the best of hands, but still..._

A quiet *TH-BMMP* above her head got her attention. _Speaking of being in good hands... here come two clawed ones, I think._

"Chat?" Marinette called out, quietly, trying not to bring her mother running. The hatch above her opened, and her friend climbed down and sat by her bedside.

"Hey, you," he whispered, affectionately. "I had to come check on you; this is as soon as I could get here. How are you feeling?"

"Actually, very good, considering," she answered. "I saw the Chinese herbalist I told you about, and he got me right in to be examined. My mother was right about him, he's really talented. Nice guy, too! Anyway, whatever herbs and pressure points and all he used on me, they really helped! I was dizzy earlier, but now I feel mostly like my old self again."

 _Chinese herbalist, huh? Somehow I think I know exactly who you saw... and if anyone would be able to counter Akuma energies, he would._ "Huh!" Chat mused. "I might... actually have met that guy. Short, Hawaiian shirt, goatee?"

"Yeah!" Marinette replied, playing along. "His name was... Foom, or something close to that. Whoever he is, he's so good! I'm even going back to school tomorrow."

"That's wonderful, Marinette," Chat said. "When I saw you get hit... well, for a moment there I was afraid I'd lost you. That really got to me."

"Pffft!" she laughed, in response. "You can't get rid of me _that_ easily, Chat."

She noticed, after a moment, that he wasn't really laughing back. "Chat?" she asked, softly.

"You're very important to me, Marinette. You know that, right?" His voice was gentle, but all humor in it was suddenly absent. "Even without my mask, I have a lot of trouble feeling close to people. With it on... I can count the people who I can really be myself with on one hand. Maybe on two fingers. Sometimes, on just one."

He watched the surprise on Marinette's face. "It's true, and don't look so shocked! I love Ladybug to death, but we only get to spend a little while together at a time. I can't, like, text message her, or sit on her balcony and tell her bad jokes, or share our problems with each other, or just lie back and watch the stars with her. I really wish I could... but she kind of keeps those doors and windows closed. And I understand why, don't get me wrong! But when I need to just be me with someone... you're who I keep coming back to."

"Chat Noir, you're going to make me cry and I'm going to _hit you_ if I do," Marinette sniffled, with a warm smile. "You're sweet as sugar when you want to be."

"And you're the one who can put up with me when I don't," he grinned back.

"You know it, silly Kitty. C'mere," she gestured, calling him over for a hug. "I'm fine, I promise. And you're so much more important to me than you know."

 _And maybe I need to work on opening up a little more as Ladybug with you,_ she thought. _I guard my secret identity pretty tightly, but I didn't realize you felt quite that neglected..._

She enjoyed the warm embrace for a moment, then said, "Thank you so much for checking on me, Chat... Now, scat, before my mother comes up here and finds a strange boy in my room and has a heart attack."

"Oh, nonsense," Chat parried. "I'll just curl up in a ball by your feet. You can tell your mother you found a stray kitten, she'll understand..."

"Out, you!" grinned Marinette, pointing to the balcony hatch. "But come back soon."

* * *

On his way home, Chat Noir pondered his next move, landing on a side street to catch his breath and do some thinking. _I'm a little alarmed that Ladybug never showed in that fight today,_ he thought. _It's not like that's never happened before, but she's usually so reliable._ _I hope nothing's wrong..._

"Excuse me," said a calm voice behind him. "Could you help an old man cross the road safely?"

Chat whirled around to see Master Fu's grinning face. "How do you DO that?" asked a startled Chat.

"Do what?" asked Master Fu. He ignored Chat's glare and continued. "I need to speak with you, urgently, but not here. Can you remember this address?" he added, handing Chat a business card for his therapy studio.

"I... sure, I know where this is. I've passed by it dozens of times. I was even quite near there today. I wasn't sure if it was one of... _those_ kinds of massage parlors," Chat stammered, getting a dirty look in return.

"How do you even know what those are? You're fourteen! ...Never mind. Come, as soon as you can... as yourself. Costumes would draw too much attention there."

Master Fu took his card back, smiled, and turned to leave.

"You're not crossing the road?" asked Chat.

"Nah," he chuckled. "I'm no chicken."

Once alone, Chat Noir powered down. "Plagg... what do you make of that?"

The Kwami's eyes were wide. "Master Fu didn't even want you to know he EXISTED for a long time... then, he came to your house to meet you. For him to just hand you his home address like this..." He shuddered. "Whatever this is about... is BIG."

* * *

A short while later, Adrien entered the herbalist's studio cautiously, relaxing slightly when he saw Master Fu waiting for him. "Hello, Chat Noir," the old man said.

"Hello, Master. Is this where...?" he asked, examining his surroundings.

Plagg flew out of Adrien's pocket quickly, flying around the studio with curiosity until he found Wayzz in the back room. "Hey! So _this_ is where you've been hiding out..." Adrien heard his Kwami exclaim.

"It is my home. This place is where many secrets of the Guardians are kept hidden. I did not keep you away from here for lack of trust... rather, because the fewer people who know of this and its location, the better," explained Master Fu. "Hawkmoth must never know of me or this place. But we are well past that now."

"This must be quite serious, then," deduced Adrien. "What's the situation?"

"Ladybug's Kwami has been injured. I am helping her recover, but for now Ladybug cannot transform or assist you," frowned Master Fu.

"IS SHE OKAY? Was it the villain that attacked my class, that hurt my friend Marinette?" Adrien burst out.

"Ladybug is shaken up, but she will be fine. This was in a... separate incident from your classmate. But I now have a responsibility for you, one that you must take most seriously." He beckoned Adrien into the back room, where Adrien watched him press buttons on his phonograph and reveal its inner secret.

Adrien's eyes widened as the Miraculous jewelry box opened fully, revealing ancient talismans of power.

"As you can see... there are many untapped sources of power. Yours and Ladybug's," pointing to the yin-yang at its center, "are the oldest and most crucial to the balance. But in times of dire need, others may join in the fight."

Adrien thought for a moment. "Is this how Rena Rouge came about?"

"Precisely! You are clever, but I knew that. Ladybug chose a Miraculous and lent it to a trusted person, someone who would use it properly and wisely. Someone who would respect its power. Someone who could relinquish the power as easily as they'd accepted it, and would return it to Ladybug when the need had passed."

Master Fu turned and met Adrien's gaze. "A responsibility that is now yours! You will need assistance to defeat this foe. You may select a Miraculous and bestow it upon someone you trust... temporarily. You must choose that person carefully! Someone whose first thought is of helping others, not of themselves."

Adrien hesitated. _Which one should I pick?_ He reached for the Fox miraculous briefly, then reconsidered. That one had an owner, even if it was an occasional one. He considered the Bee and the Turtle, looking at Master Fu for guidance; Fu's face gave away nothing.

Finally, he reached for a dark purple Miraculous from one of the side drawers. "This one just feels... right."

"An interesting choice. But not a bad choice, and I can see why it would appeal to you." The old man smiled. "Do you have a specific person in mind?"

Adrien didn't hesitate at all. "I do."

"Then I have one more thing for you." He opened a drawer in a nearby cabinet, rummaged for a minute, and emerged with a glass container with some intricate Chinese characters engraved on it.

"This," Fu said, handing it to Adrien carefully, "can hold an Akuma, once freed... for perhaps an hour. Maybe less, depending on its power. You will need this to capture the Akuma without Ladybug - and once you have it, you must bring it here immediately."

"How do I get close enough to use it?" Adrien asked.

"That is exactly why this container is a last resort. You will need all of your agility, your cleverness... and probably more than a little luck," Fu smiled. "But be careful with it! I only have one. Keep it somewhere very safe until you know you will need it."

Adrien turned to leave, only to be stopped by the old man. "One more word, young hero. The closer a Miraculous is to the center... the more stable it is. Yours is among the most pure, with the least effects on its holder. The outer twelve, from which you chose today... that was not a bad choice, I assure you! But keep in mind that its Kwami may exert more influence over the transformed personality. Choose someone who is strong and whose mind is keen, who can remain in control and in balance."

"I... understand, Master Fu. I will think hard, and be careful," Adrien assured him.

"I know you will."

As he left, Adrien thought again about whom he should recruit. _Someone brave. Someone smart. Someone who thinks of others before themselves. Someone whom I can trust completely, who'll have my back, and I'll have theirs. Someone strong enough of will to use it properly and not be overwhelmed._

 _It's obvious, isn't it?_

* * *

That evening, Marinette was out on her balcony getting some air when Chat Noir returned. "Hi, Kitty!" she called to him. "Two visits in one day? This is a surprise."

"Yeah, um..." Chat seemed a bit nervous. "There's something I need to ask you, Marinette, but... before I do that, how are you feeling?"

"Pretty normal, I guess," she replied. "Like I said earlier, whatever was affecting me seems to be wearing off quickly. I can focus on things again. What's on your mind?"

"I have a big problem," Chat said, "and I need someone's help to fix it. I got word from my... benefactor, I guess I could put it... that Ladybug has been injured."

"No!" Marinette immediately gave him her full attention. "What happened, Chat? What did he tell you?"

"We're not fully sure. There's a spirit that's part of each Miraculous, and gives it its power. A villain's attack hurt Ladybug's spirit, and from what I'm told, her normal self can't change to Ladybug right now."

"THAT's not good," she said. "Is there anything you can do to help her?"

"Marinette, there is one thing I can do... that WE can do... but I have to be sure that you understand what you would be committing to." He reached into his belt pouch and pulled out a small black box, then knelt down in front of her.

She recognized the box design immediately, since one just like it had changed her entire life not long ago. "IS THAT A..."

"...a what?"

 _A something that he wouldn't know that Marinette had ever seen before, that's what!_

"CHAT NOIR!" she stammered quickly to cover for that. "I know we mean a lot to each other, but don't you think we're way too young to think about marriage?"

Chat realized what his kneeling-with-a-jewelry-box looked like and leaped up immediately, thoroughly embarassed. "TOTALLY not that. But this is something almost as meaningful," he smiled, handing it to her slowly, with a very red face.

Marinette opened the box, cautiously. She saw a golden tiger claw on a background of dark purple, resting on a thin gold chain. The workmanship was exquisite, yet something told her that this was meant more for function than for style.

"Do you know what a Miraculous is?" Chat asked, gently.

"I think so. This is the... magic jewelry that gives you your cat powers?" she asked, holding it up in the light.

"Well, it's not my Miraculous; I'm using mine right now. Tonight, if you want it to be... this one is for you."

 _"What?"_ she gasped.

"Ladybug is in terrible trouble," Chat said, evenly. "I need a partner tonight to help bring her back. I won't lie to you, Marinette; this could be very dangerous, so I'll understand completely if you say no. But you're the one person I thought of who could do this, who I would want by my side."

Marinette was stunned. "You _have_ seen how clumsy I am, right? You're asking a bull to rescue Ladybug from a china shop."

"I know exactly who and what you are, Marinette. You're smart, you're creative, you're compassionate. You're brave, whether you admit it or not. You're always thinking of others first. You're the most trustworthy person I know. I will help you learn how to use it, if you accept it; I think you'll be a natural. And I also think you could use a little payback on Psiphon, after what she did to you!"

Chat looked her in the eye, intently. "But the choice is completely up to you. And if you're not up for it, for any reason, I'll understand."

Inside, Marinette wanted to cry. _Two million people in Paris... And I'm the one Chat trusts the most._

She made a decision, took out the necklace, and put it around her neck.

* * *

It shimmered, and a small purple-and-orange being popped into existence in front of her. Marinette jumped back slightly, as if she'd never seen a Kwami before, for Chat's benefit.

"Greetings! I am Feliss. It is good to meet you, friend of Tikki," purred the tiny creature, with half-closed eyes and a sly smile. Its features were catlike, but in more of a jungle-cat shape than Plagg's simple black form.

Marinette considered the new Kwami carefully. It - she, to be proper - seemed friendly, but also seemed to size up everything she looked at with each glance, weighing its worth. Her voice was smooth and measured, like a velvet glove with an iron claw beneath. _I find you pleasing..._ _I'll eat you last_ was the vibe that Marinette felt; definitely worth staying on this one's good side...

"Friend of what, now?" Chat asked, puzzled.

"That's... a long story," mumbled Marinette. "I'm happy to meet you, Feliss. What do I need to know about you?"

"Each Miraculous will enhance your strength, your speed, your resistance to injury. It has a hidden power that you may invoke, after which you will soon return to normal. But you already know all of this, young lady, do you not?" Feliss drawled, watching both her and Chat's faces.

"Of... course I do," replied Marinette, carefully. "I have a Miraculous user right next to me, a good friend of mine. He's told me much about how they work."

"Mmm-hmm!" grinned Feliss. "Naturally, that is what I meant."

Marinette had a sensation that she'd just been tested, and had passed it. She had another feeling that it would not be the last test.

"Ladybug has her yo-yo, Chat Noir his baton. Does... La Tigresse have her own tool of choice?" asked Marinette.

"Indeed!" the Kwami answered. "A tiger's paw can be softer than silk... or sharper than steel. When you extend your claws fully, you'll find that they can pierce and rend... _anything._ "

Chat Noir held his own clawed hand up and flexed his fingers idly, as if to suggest, _Hey, we already have that_.

Feliss grinned at him. "Do not feel inferior, little kitten. Your claws are... adequate, too. And sharp as mine are, they cannot match your Cataclysm for pure destructive power."

"Hmmph," Chat grunted.

"And the hidden power of the tiger?" continued Marinette. "What is that?"

"A roar to shake the heavens," said Feliss, proudly. "The likes of which no living mortal has ever heard." She flew in close, looking into Marinette's eyes, closely. "Is this power... something you desire, Marinette?"

"One more question, first... Does this Miraculous have any power to purify an Akuma?" Marinette asked, pointedly. "That's what Ladybug always did, right?"

"It does not," Feliss admitted. "Only the Ladybug does that. You will need wit and skill to neutralize your foe and enable the Ladybug to be restored. And, I suspect, equal wit to juggle your roles after that."

 _Too true_ , thought Marinette. _But one step at a time._

"To accept my power... tell me, young lady. Do you know your William Blake, concerning tigers?"

Marinette grinned. "Actually, I think I do." She looked at Chat and added, "What? SOME of us paid attention in literature class."

Chat stuck his tongue out at her in return.

Marinette closed her eyes and gathered her thoughts. _I hope I'm ready for this..._

"Feliss... BURN BRIGHT!" she called.

"Oh, I like this oneeeeeeeee..." she heard Feliss say, as the transformation took her.

* * *

Marinette felt the difference immediately. Where Tikki's transformation was a gentle warmth, a beckoning glow, this power was a pulsing beat. A seductive whisper. _Come, little one_ , it hissed. _Let us show the night what you and I are made of. Let us show evil what it ought to fear._

Her clothes were replaced by a sleek bodysuit with sleeves and leggings, dark colored at its base, with deep orange stripes. Her face became darker and shadowy. Her hands and feet slipped into clawed gloves and boots, with the tiniest tips of unimaginably sharp claws poking out, little dots waiting to extend and become something far deadlier. Dark cat ears appeared in her hair, and a tail much like Chat's wound around her waist and flowed behind her. She felt a strange urge to roar at the top of her lungs.

The overall effect was attractive, perhaps cute from some angles, but with an unsettling undercurrent of menace. _Go ahead. Come closer_ , _if you dare,_ it beckoned. _See what that gets you._ _Your reward may be great... if you survive._

Chat looked on in undisguised awe. La Tigresse smiled back, with a bright gleam in her eyes that hadn't been in Marinette's.

"So, my dear black cat... you've found your kitten," she grinned. "Shall we begin?"

* * *

Next time:

* Chat teaches Marinette what it means to have the power of a Miraculous.

* Marinette does her best to pretend that she didn't already know all about it.

* Psiphon tries to make sense of what she's absorbed... and plays hit-and-run to try to get more.

* "Are you... all right, Marinette?" "Never better... why do you ask?" "Um..."


	2. The Sinews of Thy Heart

Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright, Chapter 2: The Sinews of Thy Heart

* * *

"How... does it feel, Marinette?" asked Chat Noir, staring at the newly feline form of his Miraculous-transformed friend.

"...VERY intense!" Tigresse panted, looking herself over. "I've never felt anything quite like this! I can feel something very powerful, very primal in my head. She's not fighting me for control at all... but I know she's there. Like I have a backup brain now. Is this how you feel when you transform, Chat?"

"Not... really?" Chat puzzled. "I can't feel or hear my Kwami when I'm transformed. Master Fu mentioned that this new Kwami might be more prominent..."

Tigresse ventured, "Let me try something..." She closed her eyes, emptying her thoughts momentarily. When she opened them, Chat saw a bright golden glow over her normal bluebell eyes.

"...Feliss?" asked Chat, cautiously. "Am I talking to you now?"

"Indeed you are," she smiled, in a calm voice. As Tigresse, her body language was different than Marinette's, but this was now even more obvious that someone else entirely was driving. "The child has granted me control, to demonstrate how we are now as one. Her trust is admirable, and it shall not be betrayed."

Feliss, in Tigresse's form, began to walk around and stretch, striding confidently. "Ahhh... it has been an age since I've borrowed a mortal body! The last time was... 4312, I think!"

She looked at Chat's obvious confusion. "I'm sorry! Of course, you would not know the Chinese system..."

"Believe it or not, I know a little about that... I'm learning the Chinese language, slowly, as myself," Chat answered. "But if my mental math is right... that's over four hundred years ago!"

"Quite the catnap, hmmm?" Feliss grinned. "One of my longest to date."

"Feliss, if you're in control... is Marinette still awake in there?" he asked, with a mix of wonder and concern.

"Not when I am fully active like this," explained Feliss. "I have access to her thoughts and memories, but she sleeps most peacefully until I reawaken her. She is... a remarkable child! I can see why you chose her for this task. And her thoughts of you are QUITE interesting, as well..."

"They... are?"

"But not for me to reveal, young man," Feliss grinned. "All in good time. And now..." Tigresse closed her eyes again, and this time Marinette's familiar blue eyes were once again prominent.

"Marinette? You're back in charge?" asked Chat.

"I am," Tigresse smiled. "I can hear Feliss in my... mental backseat, you could say, but I'm up front again. It's good to know that I can do that, if I need to."

Chat furrowed his brow, still a bit troubled. _Plagg? Can you hear me?_ he thought, but heard no obvious response. _I'll want to talk with you later about this._

Tigresse crouched, suddenly, and leapt to Chat's side. "Come on, Chat Noir! I want to find out what this new body can do. Catch me if you can! Tag, you're IT!" She flicked his nose with her finger, then dashed away and jumped over the balcony rail, a soft giggle rapidly fading as she darted across the street.

"Hey!" Chat cried out, then followed her as quickly as he could. _This kitten's going to be quite the handful,_ he thought. _Marinette's a very fast learner._ _That's good... I think!_

* * *

Hawkmoth watched from afar as Psiphon returned to her loft, not really caring if anyone saw her transformed body entering her home. "You... do realize that there are no Miraculouses where you live, do you not?" he lectured her.

"I know, I know," she panted. "But my mind is... overwhelmed! I can't fight like this! I need to... get some of this out."

"Very well," Hawkmoth grumbled. He watched Psiphon dash to her workspace, grab her brushes and palette and begin to paint, feverishly. Images rapidly took shape, and Hawkmoth gaped in mild astonishment; these were very reminiscent of the contents of the Guardians' book in his possession, though she'd have no way of ever having seen inside that!

"What... are you drawing, exactly?" he asked her.

"Not... sure," Psiphon muttered. "Images... ideas... memories. Whatever I tapped into back there, all this came flowing out in a jumble."

As rapidly as one section of canvas filled, Psiphon moved to the next available one. Hawkmoth saw figures take shape - one obviously that of Ladybug, one of Chat Noir, several of heroes he had not encountered yet. He wasn't sure if they were current or heroes from the distant past. A temple took shape, similar to ones he had seen in his travels in Tibet. Abstract shapes melded together, colors flowed, and he couldn't make sense of much of it.

Finally, Psiphon sat back and rested, spent. She stared at what she had painted with wide eyes, marveling at her creations. "Wow!" she panted. "These are... so different from my usual drawing style! But I love how this one came out... and look at this!" She moved from drawing to drawing, wondering where in her mind they'd come from.

"Feeling better?" asked Hawkmoth, lightly.

"Much. I think I made room for another big dose of whatever that was," she replied. "Who WAS that girl, and what the heck was she carrying?"

"That... is a good question," mused Hawkmoth. "I do not think the primary source you tapped into was the girl at all, but rather something... quite unique! But how would a simple schoolgirl have had access to that? Unless..." A vision crossed his mind of a teenage girl in red-and-black garb, smiling cheerfully as she foiled his carefully laid plans again and again. "Blast it! I think we were SO CLOSE to something momentous, and she slipped through our fingers. Would you know that girl if you encountered her again?"

"I think so," Psiphon said. "I wasn't paying a lot of attention to what she looked like, she seemed pretty normal at a glance... but the 'feel' of her mind was pretty unique compared to all the other people I drained. Like an orchestra compared to a simple piano tune."

"Hmmph. She's still a needle in the haystack that is Paris," Hawkmoth pondered. "There is no shortage of teenage girls in this city... but if this one is connected to what I suspect, she may come to YOU once you make yourself known. I think it's time for another round of energy collection, Psiphon, and be careful... now that the heroes know that you exist and what you can do, they may come better prepared."

"But so will I," grinned Psiphon. "This time I'll be ready to catch any stray cats..."

* * *

Chat Noir, on the other hand, was not at all accustomed to catching cats... and this one was leading him on quite the merry chase.

 _Good lord, she's FAST!_ he thought, as he followed Tigresse's lead through the neighborhood, then into a nearby park. _She's as agile as I am, maybe more so, and not many can say THAT!_

He did his best to keep up, waiting for a chance to cut her off and tag her. She changed directions at high speed with ease, leapt over obstacles as if they weren't even there, and seemed to have no shortage of stamina.

 _She doesn't have my experience, though... and I think I've got her now,_ Chat grinned. _She's headed straight for that fountain; if she banks left or right, I can cut her off, and it's too big for her to jump over it. She's slowing down - she must have realized that..._

With a mighty leap, Chat yelled, "Gotcha!"... only to grab empty air as Tigresse leapt on to the edge of the fountain, then went nearly straight up before backflipping cleanly over him.

"Wha-GLLLLUUBBB!" came out, as the hero plunged head-first into the bubbling water.

"Are you all right, _chaton?_ " came a giggling reply from dry land.

"VERY funny," Chat grumbled, hurtling out of the water. "But two can play that game..."

"Then perhaps you'd better start playing," Tigresse teased, remaining on the move but remaining close.

 _There's no way she can match me at hand-to-hand,_ reasoned Chat. He struck a karate stance and asked, "Think you can avoid me without running away?"

"One way to find out," purred his partner. She crouched slightly, bouncing on the balls of her feet, motioning for him to come and try it.

Chat came in quickly with a series of strikes, and his experience did fare better there; she stayed ahead of his punches and kicks, but only just barely, ducking and dodging rapidly. "Not bad at all," he breathed. "You're not hitting me back?"

"You'd want me to? I wouldn't want to muss up that handsome face."

Chat blinked. _This IS Marinette in there, right?_

"Try it," he grinned. "It'll be good to know what you can - WHOA!"

In a smooth motion, Tigresse ducked under a kick, rolled forward, popped up and flicked Chat's nose gently. She couldn't suppress laughter at the look on his face before spinning away.

Inside her suit, Marinette was having a blast. _This is amazing!_ she thought. _It's like Ladybug's speed and agility, but amped way up! I don't have my yo-yo, but I almost don't feel like I need it! Chat's GOOD - obviously - but I'm keeping him off-balance even while I'm still getting used to this._

Chat thought, _Let's try something else, then_. He feinted left, went right, but extended his baton in mid-leap to redirect himself. Flying over her cleanly, this time he did get close enough to tap her on the back with his hand, cleanly. "You're IT, Princess... now what?" he called, as he rolled forwards, regained his feet and turned around.

"...Princess?"

Chat looked around, finding no sign of her. _She couldn't have run away THAT fast, could she?_ He scanned the area, examining a nearby hedge and bushes carefully, listening for the slightest sound to give away where she'd -

 _WHOA!_ Above him, he heard a slashing sound, and sensed a huge tree limb falling right next to him. Chat looked up, judged its direction, and darted out of the way...

...only for a dark blur to come leaping off of another branch of the tree and tackle him. The pair rolled some distance down a small hill, ending up with Chat leaning just above Tigresse, flat on her back.

* * *

"Thank you for the practice session, _chaton,_ " Tigresse smiled up at him. "Looks like you came out on top this time."

"...Barely!" he panted. "You are AMAZING for someone new to this."

"Oh, I only did that well because you were holding back..." said Tigresse, slyly. "But you only _caught_ me because I let you."

"Oh, really?" smirked Chat, looking down at her beneath him. "Think you could get up now?"

"Of course I could... if I wanted to," she cooed. Chat watched closely, on guard for her to make a quick move to escape... but none came.

"You're blushing, Chat Noir _._ Why is that?" asked Tigresse, softly, with an intrigued expression. "Cat got your tongue?"

"Um..." Chat fumbled for what to say, as he stood up and extended a hand, helping Tigresse back to her feet. "That's one way to put it. Can you show me what you just did?"

"I made you blush," she fluttered with a grin.

"Before that."

"Oh, you mean the tree," Tigresse grinned. "Tigers aren't known for climbing trees... but they certainly can when they want to." She extended the tips of her claws slightly and ascended the tree trunk again with ease, then hopped back down. "And as for the tree limb..."

Tigresse extended the claws on her right hand all the way, as an example. They were several inches long when fully extended, and each one tapered down to a ridiculously dangerous-looking point and edge. "One slash did the trick. I think I could've taken the whole tree down with these, if I'd wanted to, but that would've made quite a mess."

She swiped at the fallen tree limb, carving through it without registering any meaningful resistance. "Let's see what else they can do..." she said. Some more test swipes cleaved neatly through a small rock she picked up, then a much larger one.

"Wow! I didn't even FEEL that," admired Tigresse. "When Feliss said they could cut 'anything', she might not have been kidding."

"No kidding," Chat whistled. "I was tempted to see if my baton would stop those, but I don't want to lose it! Be careful what you point them at."

"Uh-huh," she agreed. "I'd really rather not find out if they can go through people!"

"You were made for gentler things than that, Marinette. One of your many charming qualities," smiled Chat, and it was her turn to blush gently.

* * *

"So..." Tigresse added, "what else do we need to know right now? You know far more about Miraculouses than I do," chuckling inside at saying that out loud.

"There's your Tiger's Roar..." Chat said, "but I don't know if you want to use that right now because, well, I don't know what it would do to the park!"

"Yeah," she giggled. "I think we'll save that one for a special occasion."

"I have an assortment of gadgets that I use with Ladybug - my communicator, for instance, so we can contact each other. Do you have any of those?" asked Chat.

"I... don't know," Tigresse replied. "You were there with me when I transformed; Feliss and I didn't go into those kinds of details. Maybe I can talk to her and she can whip something up?"

"That would be great!" he said. "You know how the transformation works, I think - once you've used your roar, your Miraculous will beep and you have five minutes before you're forced to transform back. Otherwise, you can remain as Tigresse almost indefinitely, if you need to, until you say your other magic words."

Tigresse got a funny look on her face. "Um... once I figure out what those are! We kind of skipped over that."

Chat laughed. "Or maybe we WILL have to test out your roar..."

"I'll try a few things... What's the opposite of 'burn bright?' Cool down? Burn out? Burn dim? ...Feliss is laughing at me in my head," Tigresse muttered, concentrating as if listening to something. "This should work, she says... Fade out!"

A white flash changed Tigresse back to Marinette, with a huge smile on her face. "Chat Noir... that was amazing! I can't believe that you're trusting me with this kind of power," she told him, a bit awed by all of it.

"I can't think of anyone I'd trust more, other than Ladybug herself," he answered. "And as amazing as it feels, I have to stress... this is not a game. The villain who zapped you is deadly serious, and so is the villain who gave Psiphon her powers. I know you'll take this seriously, and I know you'll give it back to me when the crisis has passed."

"I will," gulped Marinette. "What... happens if we CAN'T fix what's wrong with Ladybug?"

"I don't know," Chat said, glumly. "We have a way of capturing this Akuma, but it's a one-time thing, and I don't know what we're going to do with it AFTER we catch it... that's always where Ladybug came in. We'll have to see. I think that you would be an incredible partner... but it's up to you how long you'd want to do this kind of thing. It can be quite the disruption of your private life, for one thing."

"As long as you need me," Marinette stated, firmly. "That's a promise, Chat."

"One way or another, that'll be forever," smiled Chat. "C'mon, let's get you home."

Marinette hopped into Chat's arms, melting a little at his words, and the pair returned to her balcony.

* * *

Once downstairs, Marinette plopped down on her bed, still trying to make sense of the whole experience. "What has gotten INTO me?" she wondered aloud. "I was actually _flirting_ with Chat Noir back there! Almost inviting him to _kiss me_ at one point!"

Feliss floated out into the open, looking amused. "Oh, I wouldn't feel discouraged about that, child! He's not the fastest on the uptake, but he's receptive, and he's clearly captivated by you. With my help, you could take him as your lover in a matter of days, at most."

Marinette's facial expression was the most hilarious thing Feliss had seen since the Han Dynasty. "What...?" Feliss ventured.

"Take him as my..." Marinette was absolutely gobsmacked. "You DO know that I'm fourteen years old, right?"

"Ah, my apologies! You look so young," offered the tiny cat. "You are already married, then?"

Marinette pulled her jaw up off the floor. "I've kissed a boy... once," she countered. "And he was possessed by an Akuma at the time."

"I beg your pardon?" It was Feliss's turn to look amazed.

"Come over here, you," Marinette beckoned. "We simply HAVE to get to know each other better if we're going to coexist... starting with my complete LACK of love life."

* * *

A fair amount of time passed, in a remarkably awkward fashion.

* * *

"I... see," ventured Feliss, who still didn't. "So you are in love with this... Adrien, as both yourself and as Ladybug. Your not having claimed Adrien for yourself isn't some kind of... dowry issue, but reticence on your part and blissful ignorance on his. And your cat has professed his devotion for Ladybug, and yet he is only your partner in fighting evil, not in physical love?"

"That's... accurate, though hardly the words I would have picked," boggled Marinette.

"And you do not feel that consummation with your cat would intensify your bond?" Feliss inquired.

"I'm sure it would intensify a LOT of things, but we're not going to find out!" she nearly shouted back. "I'm very close with Chat Noir, but I'm certainly not in LOVE with him!"

The Kwami floated up in front of Marinette, eye to eye. "You are speaking to someone who's been inside your head, child. And you are still telling me this with a straight face?"

Marinette's eyes glazed over momentarily, but she recovered quickly, and met Feliss's gaze without flinching. "I am. And I promise you that your pursuing that will put you back in a jewelry box, labeled RETURN TO SENDER."

"Well! You do have fire in your soul, after all! That pleases me," grinned the Kwami, backing down slightly. "I retract my insinuation, for now. Though I suspect that what Plagg could tell you about your cat's yearnings would make your hair curl."

"I don't think what's in any teenage boy's head is ready for public consumption," parried Marinette. "Now, since you'll be going to school with me tomorrow, let me give you the rundown on what else you're going to encounter..."

* * *

Back at his house, Adrien conferred with his own Kwami. "What did I just see out there today, Plagg?" he asked. "That WAS Marinette, right?"

"Master Fu did warn you," grinned Plagg. "I'm sure some of Marinette's enthusiasm was just from excitement... and some of it was Feliss. She's a notorious flirt."

"It did seem to ramp up dramatically once Tigresse came out to play," agreed Adrien. "When she tackled me, then stretched out flat and gave me that 'what are you waiting for?' look... "

"...I was wondering if your partnership was about to reach a whole new level," the Kwami laughed.

"I mean, I knew that Marinette would _never_... I mean _never_ _ever_..." Adrien trailed off.

"Now... I wouldn't go THAT far, Adrien," Plagg cautioned, then grinned wider once he watched Adrien's shocked reaction. "Feliss may be a flirt, but she's not a liar. She's sly, but I've never known her not to be trustworthy. If she's been riding shotgun in Marinette's mind and says her thoughts about Chat Noir are 'interesting...' well, Feliss loves to fan the fire, but she doesn't make fire where there's no smoke."

Adrien just stared at him, blankly.

 _Kid, if you only knew what would happen if you said 'Claws in' at the right time..._ "All I'm saying is, keep an open mind, but keep your eyes open. If Marinette has a wild side hidden in her somewhere, Feliss will bring it roaring out. Be careful what you wish for."

"What exactly _am_ I wishing for here?" wondered Adrien.

"You tell me, kid. You tell me."

* * *

The next day, Marinette walked to school with an unfamiliar, but not unwelcome presence in her purse. "You are going to stay out of sight, right?" she asked Feliss.

"Of course! I'm no stranger to secret identities," the Kwami reassured her. "Though I will admit to being curious about your lover..."

Marinette glared HARD at her purse. "Your _loved one_ ," Feliss corrected herself. "And many of the others you described sounded interesting, as well. The Golden Harpy and her Goblin Familiar, the Beauty and her Beast, the Sweethearts of Light and Shadow..."

"I feel like I'm playing Dungeons and Dragons when you talk," Marinette giggled. "It's not wrong, it's just... different."

"There is a Dragon in Master Fu's jewelry box, but I'm a little surprised if you still have dungeons," teased Feliss.

"Not really... at least not in any circles I travel in. Okay, I need get to class now..."

Marinette took her customary seat, and accepted well-wishes and fended off questions from those who'd seen her fall victim to Psiphon. She assured everyone that she felt perfectly normal, or at least as close to normal as she ever managed to be.

Adrien entered with Nino, as usual, and his eyes lit up when he saw Marinette looking happy and healthy. "Hi, Marinette! It's great to see that you're okay," he smiled at her.

Marinette turned into goo inside, and managed to meep out a simple "Yeah, um... you too, Adrien!" _ARRRGH!,_ her brain grumbled.

She felt a rustle in her purse, and swore that she heard a distinct sniffing sound... and then very quiet, very tiny, laughter. Looking inside, Marinette saw Feliss doubled over, laughing her head off.

"What I said wasn't THAT funny!" snapped Marinette, very quietly, when no one was looking.

That made Feliss laugh even harder, trying desperately to remain silent. _Oh, my poor child - you really CAN'T tell?_ she thought. _Your loved one is your cat; he's right there in front of you, and you really don't know that? There's no fooling a tiger's nose - even if I couldn't pick HIM out at fifty paces, his Kwami is right there and reeks of foul cheese - but COME ON, now, young lady! A blind and deaf rat could figure this one out._

 _Marinette Dupain-Cheng... you may be a fine Ladybug, but I have no idea what Tikki is teaching you about being MARINETTE! About love, about passion, about sensuality, about knowing what you want and winning it, with pride, without fear!_

Feliss smiled to herself. _By the time I'm done guiding you, child, your cat will be putty in your hands. Even if I need to nudge things down the right path myself, here and there..._

* * *

Adrien did his best to stay focused in class, trying not to let his worries about Ladybug run away with him. Tigresse, on the other hand, tackled his mind as easily as she had his body in the park.

"If Marinette has a wild side hidden in her somewhere..." Plagg had said. Well, based on what he'd seen yesterday, he'd have to answer that with a firm "yes." "Yes, _please,"_ was more like it, because what he saw the day before was VERY intriguing.

 _It's not like I've never seen Marinette be STRONG before. If she senses injustice, she gets right in its face and won't back down. When Chloe pulls one of her stunts, Marinette's... well, claws come_ _out_ , he chuckled. _She's confident, brave and passionate, at least until she starts talking to ME, for some reason... and as Chat Noir, she's not fazed by me at all. She'll put me in my place in a heartbeat, and I really like that about her._

 _But she took to that Miraculous like she'd had one all along,_ Adrien mused. _Physically, I could barely keep up with her. I knew she had good reflexes from our fencing practice, but that was just ridiculous. She was PLAYING with me at times out there, with ease! And laughing about it!_

 _And that flirting! Where did THAT come from?_

Adrien leaned down and puttered around in his messenger bag, and as he did, he looked up and gave Marinette a warm smile. She looked down at him, the smile registered in her mind, and her pen went right through the sheet of paper she'd been writing on; she turned beet red, gave him a small smile while desperately trying to look nonchalant, and ducked down to fetch a fresh sheet of paper while screaming internally.

 _There, see?_ He thought. _Totally different person. I don't make her feel flirty, I make her feel nervous._

 _And yet..._ His brain flashed back to Tigresse under him, the look on her face, how comfortable and content she seemed to be lying there, almost daring him to lean down and kiss her. _She didn't have the golden Feliss-is-driving eyes when she did that, but how much of that was Marinette and how much was Feliss?_

 _"Her thoughts are... quite interesting." Well, Feliss, you've caught my interest! I need to think hard about this._

 _Or maybe that was all just first-time jitters, the excitement of having a Miraculous, her feeling overwhelmed by it,_ reasoned Adrien. _Maybe it won't happen again..._

* * *

Meanwhile, deep in Adrien's messenger bag, Plagg was doing what Plagg liked to do best during Adrien's classes - sleep. He was roused from a pleasant dream by the strangest feeling that he wasn't alone...

His eyes opened slightly, then all the way as he realized that he was being steadily groomed.

"HEY! HEY! Mouth and paws off the merchandise, lady!" he hissed as quietly as he could manage, spinning away. "What are you doing here?"

"Cats groom each other, do they not?" Feliss grinned. "Why are you so surprised?"

"PERSONAL. SPACE. Learn about it," sputtered Plagg. "What do you want, Feliss?"

"I'm looking for an explanation," said Feliss. "It's obvious that your boy and your cat are one and the same. To everyone but the girl, anyway..."

"Actually? The only other human who knows is Master Fu," Plagg said.

"Come on, now! Be serious," laughed Feliss.

"I am being serious. He keeps his secret well."

"Hmmph! I suppose that explains why her friends haven't told her... But, besides that. If he's infatuated with Ladybug, why hasn't _he_ told her how he feels?" Feliss asked him, incredulously.

"He did tell her. Chat Noir told Marinette about his feelings for Ladybug, then made them clear to Ladybug as well. She let him down easy, because she loves Adrien," replied Plagg.

"Pfft," Feliss chuckled. "I know the girl is blind about him... But why would Chat Noir say the same thing twice to the same girl?"

"Because... he doesn't know that Marinette is Ladybug?" Plagg explained, as if to a child.

Feliss blinked, then blinked again, speechless.

"And you're not going to tell him OR her what you know, either. Guardian's orders," insisted Plagg.

"You're telling me... that the CAT is blind, as well? They _both_ have no idea?" Feliss couldn't believe her pointy ears. "What kind of enhanced senses are you granting him, anyway? Can't he SMELL that they're the same?"

"His hearing is sharper. His nose and brain are still human," Plagg grumbled. "And, yes - Marinette and Ladybug love Adrien, Adrien and Chat love Ladybug, and neither one knows the other's secret. We're in a holding pattern until at least one of them figures it out, and that doesn't make it hunting season for tigers, either."

"Nonsense, Plagg," scoffed Feliss. "Bug or Tiger, she's still Marinette. Why should she be denied what she yearns for? At the very least, our cats should curl up together and get some much-needed practice."

Plagg held his head, which was starting to ache. "I can't stop you from trying, can I? Just... let Marinette make her own decisions, okay? If I see a Tigresse with bright golden eyes putting moves on Chat Noir, you're gonna hear about it."

Feliss grinned at that reference, slyly. "When she was stretched out yesterday, lying underneath your cat... what color were her eyes then?"

Plagg thought back, and... _Blue. Oh, boy._

"Trust me. This won't take long," Feliss snickered, then darted back to Marinette's purse silently.

* * *

After the final bell, Marinette walked slowly towards the school's front door, chatting idly with Alya, when they noticed Adrien and Nino waiting in the doorway for them.

"Hi, ladies!" said Nino. "Mind if I steal my girlfriend from you, Marinette?"

Alya grinned, intentionally ignoring Marinette's _Don't you leave me here alone_ face, and the happy couple descended the front steps quite quickly. Marinette turned back to Adrien, who hadn't gone anywhere.

"Hey," said Adrien, with a smile. "Can I walk with you for a minute?"

"S-sure!" Marinette said, surprised but far from unhappy. They strolled down the steps slowly, Marinette looking around for Adrien's customary driver. "Your car's not here, Adrien?" she asked.

"I texted him, he's waiting until I text him again to get me. I'm in no hurry," he replied. "I was really surprised to see you here today after what happened. How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good," she answered. "Maybe just the tiniest headache, but nothing I can't handle."

"That's good," Adrien said. "I only got to say hi for a second earlier, and I was so worried about you! That had to be the scariest thing ever for you."

"That's very nice of you to think of me, Adrien," Marinette said, shyly. "For some reason, I seem to be a magnet for supervillains... This was at least the fourth time Chat Noir had to come and rescue me."

"I don't know about that, Marinette... I can't imagine you could ever be Akumatized! You're such a positive person," he replied. "You almost always see the best in everyone. Well, almost everyone, but I think we both know why there are certain exceptions."

"Ha! Yeah, don't even say the C-word," grinned Marinette. "I'm in too good a mood to think about her."

"Still... I felt kind of bad. As soon as the villain showed up, I ran away on instinct!" Adrien said. "Then I came back and saw you caught in a pink energy bubble, and I just..."

"Oh, don't be silly," she chided him. "What could you have done, thrown yourself over top of me and yelled 'take me, instead?' We were all just trying to get away; I was just unlucky."

From Marinette's purse, a tiny voice whispered, pitched for only her to hear. "His hand is next to yours. Take hold of it," it suggested.

Her fingers moved outwards, slowly, brushing against Adrien's... then pulled back, abruptly, as she realized what she was doing. Marinette looked down, horrified... and was amazed to see Adrien's hand reacting to the soft touch, reaching out for a hand that wasn't there any more. _SHOULD I_? she wondered... and then the moment was over, and his hand returned to his own side. Adrien didn't seem to react beyond that.

Before long, they were in front of Marinette's family bakery, with her house above it. "I didn't mean to make you walk me home, Adrien, but thank you for doing it," Marinette beamed.

"Can we go in?" asked Adrien.

"In... my house?" she blushed.

"In the bakery, at least," Adrien said, realizing how he'd phrased that. "I want to get a few pastries to take home with me. Help me pick out something good?"

"Oh, everything my parents make is good," Marinette smiled. "Come on in, I'll give you the guided tour."

* * *

Marinette's father, Tom, greeted his daughter warmly as she entered... then looked a bit surprised when he saw she had company. "Hello, Adrien!" he called. "Nice to see you again."

"Likewise, Mr. Dupain!" Adrien responded, waving to him. "I need to spoil my household, and your desserts are the best way I know how."

"I just put out fresh mille-feuille and opera cake, as suggestions... Marinette can help you pick out what you need."

Marinette's eyes lit up as she ducked behind a counter, and she led Adrien from display to display. He ended up with a hefty box full of opera cake and an assortment of smaller pastries. Her mother rang him up, doing her very best not to say a word about her daughter's feelings, but gave him a substantial Boy My Daughter's In Love With Discount. Luckily for Marinette, that didn't get printed on the receipt.

She walked outside with Adrien, smiling warmly at him. "Thank you for walking with me, again, and I'm glad you could come and visit!" she cooed.

"I need to do that more often," he smiled back. He reached for his phone and texted his driver. "I'll go meet him back at the school steps, like usual... I'll see you tomorrow, Marinette?"

"You sure will," she answered. "And thank you for caring about me."

A tiny voice at Marinette's side piped up again, insistently. "Thank him for being so sweet. Give him a light peck on the cheek."

Marinette smiled, leaned in close by Adrien's side, pressed her lips to his cheek quickly and gently...

...and froze in her tracks. _WHAT AM I DOING?!_

Adrien froze as well, caught off guard by the unexpected affection. He turned towards her, their faces just inches apart, surprise written all over his.

 _Don't make this weird. Don't make this weird. DON'T MAKE THIS WEIRD._ Marinette took a quick breath, forced a gentle smile onto her face... and said, "See you tomorrow, Adrien," in a soft voice, then walked back towards the bakery's front door.

With his hand touching his face, precisely where Marinette had... Adrien stood very still, registering the moment in his mind. He watched Marinette turn back to look at him as she reached the door, and she gave him a little wave, her face lighting up when she saw the genuine grin on his.

* * *

Marinette walked inside, let the door shut behind her, and lunged for her purse. "WHAT DID YOU JUST MAKE ME DO?" she hissed at Feliss, not really caring who was nearby.

"I didn't MAKE you do ANYTHING," the Kwami smirked. "I put a good idea in your ear, and you acted on it. And you might want to hold that thought until we're not in front of customers... and your parents."

She closed her purse and took a deep breath. _I cannot believe that I just did that. I just kissed Adrien!_

 _I just KISSED ADRIEN!_

 _And he SMILED BACK AT ME!_

Marinette's face ran the rollercoaster from disbelief to panic to astonishment to a touch of giddy wonder. _He really SMILED! I think he LIKED IT!_

About ten feet away, Sabine Cheng watched her daughter with an odd expression of her own. "Are you... okay, Marinette?" she asked.

"Never better," Marinette mumbled. "Why do you ask?"

"Um... because you just kissed your dream boy, and you don't look like you're sure why you did, and then you argued with your purse about it?" Sabine stepped closer. "You've had a rough 24 hours, and while it looks like it just got a little better... do you want to talk about it?"

"I... just might! But not right this minute. I'm... going to go up and lay down for a little while, okay?" she babbled, unable to shake off her growing smile.

"Call me if you need anything, okay?" Sabine hollered to her daughter, as she darted up the stairs. _My poor girl!_ she thought. _Though... maybe an adorable little blonde boy can take her mind off of things. He's on her mind ninety percent of the time anyway..._

* * *

Adrien walked towards the school, still touching his cheek with his fingers at intervals. The spot felt about five times warmer than the rest of his body.

 _Now, THAT'S a new development!_ he thought. _A very sweet, very nice, very... interesting new development. I wanted to see how having Feliss was affecting Marinette out of costume... but all of a sudden, I think I just want to see more of Marinette!_

"Plagg..." he said, absent-mindedly. "Talk to me, buddy."

"I told you, if Marinette has a wild side, Feliss would bring it out. I don't know how much of that was Feliss's doing... or if that's wild, for Marinette... but it's out," the Kwami noted.

Adrien was wide-eyed. "I don't want to make too big a deal out of that. Maybe that was just a friendly kiss..."

"Maybe," Plagg agreed. "Maybe not. Do you want it to be?"

"I'm... not sure," he marveled. "I've never had one that wasn't."

* * *

Marinette half-stumbled into her bedroom and shut the door. Feliss came out of her purse, wearing a satisfied grin on her face.

"You... just steered me right into that, Feliss!" accused Marinette, pointing her finger at the Kwami.

"Of course I did! You needed that, Marinette," purred Feliss. "It feels good, doesn't it?"

"Can I decide what I need and what I don't, please?" Marinette asked, sitting down in her computer chair with a thud. "Adrien has NO IDEA that I have real feelings for him! I'm just a friend to him! That could've ruined everything I've been working towards!"

"If you're just a friend to him, after all this time... how far had that work gotten you?" Feliss asked, gently.

"Okay, not far... I'll grant that... but that could've wrecked our friendship!" continued Marinette, still agitated.

"If one of your other friends pecked you on the cheek... would you cut him off as a friend? Not climbing all over you, mind... just a sweet little thank-you peck."

"No... I suppose not..." Marinette looked less angry and more thoughtful, though not yet pacified. "Feliss... I've only ever kissed one boy before in my whole life!"

 _And you still only have, child!_ "Now you can say you've done it twice. And this time, he knows that it happened," grinned Feliss. "And did he seem to like it?"

"He... did!" mused Marinette. "And it wasn't even a real, proper kiss!"

Feliss flew up in front of Marinette's face, with a grin. "Child... I assure you, I am looking out for your best interest! I would enjoy guiding you to winning your... loved one, whether he be boy or cat. And as you can see, I am very good at what I do. I can mold you into a sweetheart, or a seductress... or anything in between."

"I... don't like being manipulated," Marinette growled. "I want to know what I'm doing, before I do it. We make plans, we don't improvise unless we have to, and I stay in control unless I relinquish it voluntarily. Fair enough?"

The television in Marinette's room cut suddenly to breaking news. "Akuma alert in Quartier de la Bastille! Psiphon reported on site! Details, after this."

"Or... you could just put me back in the box, and let Chat Noir try to deal with that alone," Feliss smirked.

"All right, you drive a hard bargain," grinned Marinette, grudgingly. "Feliss... BURN BRIGHT!"

One transformation later, La Tigresse popped the hatch to the balcony and began her pursuit...

* * *

Next time:

* Adrien considers his next move regarding Marinette.

* Tigresse considers... many things.

* Chat Noir continues teaching his new partner, while Plagg watches her eyes.

* Psiphon continues her collection of creative thoughts.

* "Can we talk about this?"

* And more!


	3. What Dread Hand

Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright, Chapter 3: What Dread Hand

* * *

Riding home in his father's car, Adrien remained submerged in a pleasant daze. He touched his cheek again, and saw his bodyguard look up from the road for a moment, peer at him in the rear-view mirror and give him a curious eyebrow.

"She kissed me," said Adrien, still only half-believing it.

The bodyguard looked surprised, then gave him a thumbs-up with a grunt and a smile before returning his focus to afternoon traffic.

 _It's not like Marinette dove onto my lap and sighed, "Kiss me, loverboy,"_ he thought. _Although, as Tigresse, I felt like she was about halfway there - but that wasn't aimed at ME, that was for Chat Noir's benefit. Any time Marinette's ever so much as touched me before, no matter how innocently, she's been nervous and squirmy about it - I was beginning to wonder if it was Plagg's Camembert aroma putting her off..._

 _But that just seemed so... natural! She seemed completely at ease with doing it. It was just a peck on the cheek, but when I turned, she was still right there up close and smiling. Like she was saying, "Yeah, I just did that. Now what?"_

 _Now what, indeed?_

Abruptly, the music from the radio shifted to an emergency alert sound. As the announcer described an Akuma sighting near the Palais Garnier, the bodyguard grumbled slightly and adjusted his route away from the area, lest he get caught up in traffic jams or the crossfire of a superfight.

Adrien came back to awareness with some alarm. _Crap! I can't get away and transform now - my bodyguard just MIGHT notice if I bail out of the back seat in mid-ride. AND I have to get home to get Master Fu's container so we can try to trap the Akuma in it! If Tigresse gets there first, she'll be on her own for a while..._

* * *

As Tigresse, Marinette vaulted from rooftop to rooftop at high speed, heading for the Quartier de la Bastille. It felt good to be back in costume and hunting down an Akumatized villain, even if it wasn't her usual costume. This powerset didn't have her usual finesse, necessarily, but it had power and speed to spare.

She did have one uncomfortable thought running through her mind, however. _When I get there and confront Psiphon... what am I going to do when I get there?_

 _I can't let her threaten innocents, so I'll draw her attention away from them, but what do I when I beat her? I have no way of capturing or purifying her Akuma, I can't just let it fly away, and I don't want to just... claw it. Would that even work, anyway? I guess I'll just have to stall for time until Chat gets there with whatever his secret weapon is._

 _This is going to feel a little strange,_ she grinned. _Instead of concentrating on where the Akumatized object is and how to out-think Psiphon, I get to just beat her up for a while!_

Tigresse arrived near the Opéra Bastille and perched up high, scouting the area. As she expected, Psiphon wasn't making herself hard to find; Tigresse followed the trail of running people and property damage to a familiar pink-garbed figure, picking off targets according to her whims.

A few people saw Tigresse coming and reacted fearfully, which reminded her that the people of Paris had never seen her in that form before. _If I get a chance afterwards, maybe I should track down a news crew and introduce myself,_ she thought. _Wonder if I should disguise my voice? I've never really bothered with that as Ladybug, but it wouldn't hurt if the two of us weren't obviously the same person._

She flipped down onto the street, a short distance away from the villain. "Bonjour, Psiphon!" she called out, pitching her voice a little huskier than usual. "Looks like you're the guest of honor at Tigresse's coming-out party."

Psiphon gave the dark figure a quick once-over. "Finally, someone interesting! These musician types around here are like potato crisps - tasty, but not very filling. I can't say I recognize you, though..."

Tigresse's appearance snapped Hawkmoth instantly to attention from afar, and his energy signature flared over Psiphon's face. "A new Miraculous in play! Most interesting," he cackled. "Either my suspicions about Ladybug are correct... or our mysterious Guardian is getting desperate. Either way, it's good news for us. Watch this one carefully, Psiphon - let's see what she can do."

Psiphon answered, "Got it," and started with a few psychic probes, trying to knock Tigresse out quickly. Tigresse's agility kept her out of reach with ease.

"You'll have to do better than that," Tigresse taunted, dodging what was thrown at her and circling in closer. "I am in the mood to play, but I do like a challenge."

Psiphon thought quickly. "Um..." she stalled, then threw both arms up; a wall of pink telekinetic force shot up in front of her, between her and the feline heroine. "I think I'll keep you at a distance, while I figure out what to do with you." As Psiphon turned, the wall turned with her, making it difficult for Tigresse to work her way around it.

"An interesting strategy," admired Tigresse. _And, actually, fine by me since I'm stalling for time just like you are._ _.._ "So, what's your story? Hawkmoth's victims usually have a sad tale to tell. What's your grudge against the world?"

"Nothing too dramatic," the villain parried. "I just get these creative dry spells, and I get all pent up inside... and then every so often I just have to LASH OUT!" A column of pure force shot out from the center of the mental wall, nearly taking Tigresse's head off.

"Maybe it's just your coffee. Have you tried a decaffeinated blend?" quipped a crouching Tigresse, nervously. _Good thing I'm just as fast as Ladybug this way - maybe faster._ _Any time now, Chat Noir..._

* * *

In the Agreste car, Adrien's bodyguard was seething, with the car stuck in a wall of traffic due to a road accident. Officer Roger was doing his best to take names and information from those involved, but the way forward wasn't opening up any time soon, and there were enough cars behind them to prevent his backing out.

Adrien wasn't seething... instead, he was closer to petrified. _Tigresse is all alone on her first mission! And I am STUCK here, unless I come up with something amazing, and fast..._

* * *

Tigresse circled warily around the pink-clad villain. "I suppose you think you can just hide in back of that all day?" she called to her.

"Or until you give up and go home," Psiphon retorted. "Or I catch you with one good shot."

"Or... until I decide to go right through your little wall." Tigresse extended the claws on both forepaws fully. "We can do this the easy way, or... well, your choice."

"Come at me, then," taunted Psiphon. "If you dare."

 _If I do... I'll have to be fast,_ thought Tigresse. _If I get too close to that thing, I can't dodge whatever comes out of it. So I'll just have to make her miss!_

She came in hard and fast on the left, dodged right to avoid a force beam, then anticipated a second one and dodged left again. On the way across, she slashed both claws as hard as she could... and sliced the wall neatly in two.

"AUUUUGH!" shouted Psiphon, in obvious pain and surprise.

 _Interesting! Those projections not only come from her mind, they're linked to it, too,_ Tigresse thought. _That's good to know - it's one way to use these claws without using them on her._

"Had enough?" she called to the reeling villain. "I don't want to hurt you if I don't have to."

Psiphon got to one knee with a snarl on her lips. "Get AWAY from me!" she screamed, and projected another wall, but this one moving outwards as fast as she could send it.

"GAAAAH!" cried Tigresse, as the pure force sent her flying through the air. She landed hard, about fifty feet away, with most of the wind knocked out of her.

Her eyes flashed gold, then went back to blue, but with the pupils golden instead of black.

"BIG mistake," Tigresse growled, then stood up and faced Psiphon defiantly. Her body language was very different now - not that of a teenage girl looking for a reasonable end to the fight, but a wily and angry predator, preparing to strike...

* * *

Another ten minutes had passed, and Adrien was at the complete end of his rope. Visions of dozens of horrible things happening to Tigresse were floating through his mind's eye, but the car had moved a grand total of ten meters, if that.

The bodyguard was drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, impatiently, muttering something unintelligible. His charge's voice caught his attention.

"Hey! I, um... that girl who kissed me today? There's a store right around the corner from here, and it has something that I know she really likes... Since we're not moving at all, how about I run over there and see if they have it, and come right back?"

He frowned, and made a face of mild protest... but before he could do anything else, Adrien was headed out the back door of the car and off to the races. "I'll call you!" he yelled out as he ran.

The bodyguard wasn't much of a talker, but his face was unmistakably saying _Not again, kid..._

* * *

Around the corner, Adrien darted into an alley.

"Think he bought that?" Plagg asked him.

"Not a chance in the world. But what else could I do? Plagg - CLAWS OUT!"

* * *

Psiphon staggered to her feet, happy with herself. "When in doubt... hit them hard," she grinned. "Now, how about I find out what your mind tastes like? I bet it's got all kinds of interesting secrets in it."

She sent out a smaller, more delicate tendril, and Tigresse didn't even bother to dodge it. It touched her head briefly, until a vicious claw swipe shattered it.

"Aggh! That projection wasn't solid force, that was... energy! How did you do that?" gasped Psiphon, stunned by its psychic feedback.

Tigresse remained silent, inexorably marching forwards.

Psiphon wasn't sure quite what to do next. _More force beams? She'll just slash them, too, and that'll hurt me more!_ "Back off... or you're going for another ride," she yelled.

Still silent, but now with a very nasty grin on her face, Tigresse continued to advance, claws gleaming.

"Wh-hat are you going to do to me?" asked Psiphon, panicking, backing up slowly.

"I'm gonna cut your head off. See if that works," a deep voice growled from somewhere deep within Tigresse. The grin grew wider.

From afar, Hawkmoth stared at the imposing challenger in disbelief. _THIS... is who received a Miraculous from the Guardian? She's scarier than I am!_ "Psiphon... I think it's time for you to leave, before she can test that theory," he ordered her.

Psiphon nodded her head in agreement. "Okay! I, um, uh, have a dentist's appointment! I'll be back later," she babbled in Tigresse's direction, using a column of pink force to propel herself back and away. She was horrified to see Tigresse break into a dead run, still grinning, intent on pursuit.

"Nope nope nope nope NOOOOOPE! Hawkmoth, DO SOMETHING!" she called out.

"Cause a diversion! Collapse something that they'll have to deal with!" he suggested, scrambling for ideas.

"Yeah, um... There!" Quickly, she sent a force beam into the top of a nearby building, sending bricks and debris flying towards several bystanders below.

With a snarl, Tigresse leaped into their path, her claws turning the falling threats into so much dust and pebbles. She landed on all fours, turned, and saw a young mother and child that a second group of bricks was about to hit...

* * *

...Until a black blur swooped in and scooped them up, carrying them just out of harm's way.

The three hit pretty hard, but Chat Noir made sure he took the vast majority of the impact. "Are you all right?" he asked the woman.

"Yes... thank you!" she replied, gratefully, scooping up her little boy and heading to safer ground.

"How about you, Tigresse? Are you..." Chat trailed off, looking at his partner and not seeing someone he fully recognized.

Tigresse glared intently all around her, sniffing the air. "WHERE?" she growled. "Where did she... HAH!"

She caught a scent and prepared to leap in pursuit, only for Chat to grab her shoulder. "Tigresse... are you okay?" he asked, a little warily.

Tigresse spun, fiercely, her claws still extended. Chat took a step back, seeing a golden tinge to her eyes... which quickly faded back to black-on-blue. "Ch-chat? Oh, my gosh, Chat! You're here!"

Chat looked on with surprise as her entire demeanor changed abruptly - the savage fury dissipated, and the playfulness and gentleness of Marinette were back. She sheathed her claws and hugged him. "Thank goodness!" she panted, "Those people might owe you their lives!"

"I think you saved more people than I did. I'm just glad I got here in time," Chat replied. "Are you... did Psiphon do something to you? You didn't seem like yourself just now."

"I'm okay, I think..." Tigresse answered. "I did pretty well in the fight, and figured out how her projections work... I hurt her without having to touch her, which we can use against her next time! Then I took a pretty good hit and landed hard, and things went kinda... fuzzy. I remember scaring her off without really thinking about it, then my body kind of saved those people on its own... and then you were here."

"Hmmm." Chat pondered the implications - he hadn't imagined that golden gleam in her eyes when her self-control was absent. "On the plus side, it looks like no one got hurt, the Akumatized object is intact, and you're back to your normal, adorable self..."

"Awwww," she purred, striking a winsome pose. "I bet you say that to all the girls in tights and masks and whiskers."

"Wait - you have whiskers?" marveled Chat.

"You don't? I thought you were a cat," she giggled. "Lean in close, you can see them."

Chat moved in close, looking intently.

"Closer, Chat," she beckoned.

 _If they're there, they blend in very well,_ Chat thought, leaning in further...

Tigresse leaned forward and planted a kiss on the end of his nose, then ducked away, laughing happily.

"What was THAT?" Chat boggled.

"Just saying 'thank you' in my own way for coming to check on me, Chat," Tigresse grinned. "I have a great partner."

"I think I do, too," he smiled...

...but he also thought to himself, _One great partner right here, and one dangerous one hiding inside her whom I'll need to keep an eye on._

* * *

"Can I stop by your place later?" Chat continued. "We can compare notes on what happened today. For now, I kind of left someone waiting for me, and I need to get back to him..."

"No problem! I have an errand of my own to run," replied Tigresse. "I'll watch for you tonight."

Chat waved as he darted off over the nearby rooftops, moving quickly. _My bodyguard is going to have sixteen fits if I'm not back soon - and I need to figure out my cover story..._

He made his way back to the street from which he'd left the car. Sure enough, the car was parked on the side of the road, traffic now flowing smoothly around it, with Officer Roger engaged in yet another argument with Adrien's seething bodyguard about respect for the vehicular code.

Quickly, he transformed back to Adrien, then darted into the back seat, out of breath. The bodyguard gave him a perturbed look, and raised his hands as if to say, "WELL?"

"I am SO SORRY! That took longer than I expected. I actually ran into her right after I bought the little keepsake I was getting for her!" he mumbled. "So, we talked for a minute, and I gave it to her, and, well... she kissed me again."

The bodyguard kept frowning for a moment... then a smile grudgingly broke across his face. He then showed Adrien a ticket that Roger had written him for his impromptu parking job.

"I'm paying for that. It was worth it," Adrien grinned.

He nodded, and came as close as Adrien had ever seen his bodyguard come to laughing aloud... then hit the gas and drove Adrien home before anything else could get between them and their destination.

Adrien felt a tiny bit bad for lying to him... _But one part of that WAS true,_ he thought. _She DID kiss me again!_

His nose felt warm, just like his cheek STILL did. _Either that girl has cayenne lipgloss, or there's something magical about her beyond her Miraculous,_ smiled Adrien.

* * *

Tigresse headed in a different direction, but not yet towards her house. _I know I'm not supposed to make a habit of going here... but I'm sure Master Fu will understand._

She dropped down into an alley behind the herbalist's home and office, transformed back, and waited in the foyer until Master Fu was done with his current customer and came out to greet her.

"Hello, Marin..." he began, but was distracted by a tiny green blur shooting out of his shirt pocket and diving into the back of the office.

"Hmmph! I wonder what's gotten into Wayzz?" he wondered. "Regardless, hello there, Marinette. How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thanks to your remedies and some sleep," replied Marinette. "I wanted to stop by and see how Tikki is doing."

"A little improved, but not much," Master Fu said. "Come back with me and I'll show you."

The two walked into a private study in the back, where Tikki's cocoon-ball was resting on a small stand, surrounded by various herbs, plants and chalk symbols.

"She is still sealed away, but I can sense at least a flicker of consciousness inside now," the old man explained. "Here - place your hands on it, gently, and think kind thoughts in her direction."

Marinette did as she was instructed. The ball felt cool to the touch. She leaned down towards it and thought, _Are you there, Tikki? It's me, Marinette. I've been thinking of you all the time - please get better..._

Immediately, she felt a warm sensation against her fingertips, and a tiny wave of positive emotions washing over her. "Oh, wow!" she whispered, "It's really her!" She closed her eyes, enjoying Tikki's empathic pulse, and leaned down to hug the ball as gently as she could.

"Thank you, Master Fu. I really needed that, and I hope she did, too," a grateful Marinette said. "I know that Miraculous holders aren't supposed to come here except in emergencies..."

"...but as far as I'm concerned, Tikki's state was and is an emergency. Come as often as you like," Master Fu smiled. "Your presence will assuredly help restore Tikki's harmony. And while it's true that I must remain secretive, you've proven your trustworthiness a hundred times over, and I do enjoy your company. We will have you back in costume before you know it."

"About that..." Marinette replied, a little nervously. "What would you say if... I already was?"

Master Fu reacted with a raised eyebrow and a questioning look. "And what would you mean by that, Marinette?"

"Chat Noir came to see me the other night, at my house... and he wasn't alone," she said.

Feliss popped out of Marinette's purse and floated before the old man, bowing before him. "Hello, Master Fu," she said. "It is good to be out and about again."

* * *

Master Fu froze for a moment, processing the situation... then closed his eyes and chuckled softly. "Of course he did," he said to himself. "Who else?"

"Are you... okay with this, Master Fu?" asked Marinette.

"Of course I am, if you are," he replied. "I would have been worried whether you were physically up to the task, after being attacked as you were... but I know you wouldn't have accepted this responsibility lightly." He reached out and collected Feliss in his outstretched hand. "Greetings to you, my little tigress," he addressed Feliss. "May I assume that you're showing Marinette your own... unique way of looking at life?"

"I am," the Kwami grinned. "Once I grasped the full nature of Marinette's... situation, I have done my best to advise her well, in costume and out. I can see why you chose her to pair with Tikki; Marinette's spirit is pure light inside, and she has SUCH potential! Though when it comes to finding a husband, she definitely needs my experience and guidance."

"Finding a... WHAT?" Marinette gaped, halting her interjection when she saw Master Fu break up laughing.

"Feliss... you haven't changed a bit over the centuries, I see," he said, highly amused. "But romantic customs in the world around you have, while you slept. Do an old Guardian a favor and tread lightly in your guidance; Marinette and the boy who was surely made for her will thank you later."

"Indeed," Feliss answered, with a sly smile. "Though I'm not entirely sure that she knows which boy that is... the one that she kissed today, or the other one she kissed today."

Marinette closed her mouth and said nothing, burning inside, sure that her face was the color of a ripe apple.

"Hah!" laughed Master Fu. "I will warn you, Marinette, Feliss has been a self-declared matchmaker for millennia. Among other things... If you have desires, or others desire you, you'd better watch this Kwami carefully." He turned to the back room and called, "Wayzz! Come out here, please!"

A tiny voice in a closed drawer responded in a muffled voice, "Not while SHE'S here!"

"Wayzz, I'm surprised at you! What did Feliss ever do to you?" Master Fu asked.

"She tried to EAT me once!"

At Master Fu's questioning look, Feliss simply shrugged. "I did NOT try to eat him. I might have _suggested_ that I have a taste for turtle soup..."

"She licked me to find out what I taste like!" shouted Wayzz, indignantly.

"Don't feel singled out," hollered Feliss. "I do that with just about everyone I meet."

Master Fu turned to Marinette, with an apologetic smile. "Heh... You're sure you're good with this particular traveling companion?"

"I am," she giggled. "We're... working on our relationship, but I can tell that she has a good heart and means well for me. And being La Tigresse feels very different from being Ladybug, but not in a bad way... I got through my first villain fight as Tigresse just fine, a little while ago."

Her eyes perked up as she remembered the other reason she'd come. "Oh! I needed to ask you, Master... I was careful not to break this villain's Akumatized object, without the power of Ladybug to purify it. What AM I supposed to do about those? Chat Noir said that he has something that could help, but what about when I'm alone?"

"Tell me about the fight you had today. How did you manage that?" the old man asked.

* * *

Marinette spent some time describing her battle against Psiphon - how the force projections caused feedback to her when damaged, how Psiphon used both force and energy effectively, how her claws cut through both of those... and how she had a big fuzzy hole in her memories after a certain point.

Master Fu listened intently, hearing Ladybug's tactical thinking guiding Tigresse's fearsome claws and approving of it. If the part of the fight that Marinette couldn't entirely remember concerned him, his eyes betrayed nothing of it, at least openly.

Abruptly, he asked Feliss a question in Chinese. Without skipping a beat, Feliss responded in kind, and the two began a rapid back-and-forth.

Marinette looked at the two of them, put her hand on her hip and said, "I'm RIGHT HERE, you know." When they both looked at her, she added, "My mother is Chinese."

 _I'm not catching all of what they're saying, but I'm getting enough... something about 'control' and 'free will,' mostly,_ she thought.

The old man thought for a moment, then switched to Cantonese and continued with his line of questioning, which worried Marinette greatly. _What are they talking about that they can't say in front of ME?_ The conversation remained at a normal speaking tone of voice for both, though Master Fu did become a bit more animated as it went on.

Finally, Master Fu closed his eyes and nodded, as if coming to a decision. He reopened them and returned to his normal demeanor, smiling at Marinette. "Do not worry, Marinette," he ventured. "I did not want to exclude you from that, necessarily... but many times, the best way to get information quickly is to ask for it in one's native tongue. English is not my first language. More like my... eighth, so I did not want to misunderstand."

"...And?" Marinette asked.

"And I am satisfied with the situation, and with your partnership," he smiled, reassuringly. "You handled yourself quite well as a solo hero with new powers, and I am confident that Feliss will guide you well without... overstepping greatly."

 _Well, that's not suspicious at all!_ Marinette thought. "As for the Akumas...?"

"I recommend you speak with Chat Noir about that," Master Fu continued. "I gave him an ancient Chinese container of glass, covered in mystical symbols and engravings - you will know it instantly when you see it. If you can identify the object OR free the Akuma, seize it, put it in the container, and bring it to me immediately. That will be part of the breakthrough necessary to give Tikki the strength she needs to return."

"And if it gets broken?" asked Marinette.

He sighed. "Don't let that happen. If it does, come to me and we will figure something out. ...Somehow."

* * *

Psiphon finally stopped to catch her breath, halfway across the city of Paris. There was _no way_ she was going to let that tiger girl get near her again without having a very serious game plan in place.

 _What HAPPENED to that hero? One minute, she was a teenage girl in tights and a mask - then I caught her with one good shot and she turned into a horror movie monster right before my eyes!_

 _And feeling pain when my projections get cut was NOT in the brochure!_

"Hawkmoth! Are you listening?" she called out. There was no response.

 _Guess he's not on-call 24/7. Great. Now what do I do if Stabby McClaws finds me again?_

 _Think, girl, THINK. This is all about inspiring your creativity, right? You're the smart one. Work out something that'll keep her out of range of your neck._

She took her paintbrush in hand and drew up a couple of diagrams, feeling like Wile E. Coyote setting up diabolical traps for the Road Runner. _Like this? Hmmm. Maybe if I dangle this bit over here..._

* * *

Adrien laid back on his bed, not quite as agitated as Psiphon was, but not too far behind her. Today had turned out to be quite the day, all things considered.

Plagg floated around the room, with a little mischief on his mind. "So, Adrien, do you prefer your kisses masked or unmasked?" he asked, teasingly.

"If you'd asked me that before today, that'd be an easy one," Adrien laughed. "One red-and-black mask to go, please."

"Well, Ladybug's not on tonight's menu. We have a Marinette Special, a Tigresse Surprise, or if you're really hungry you can try to order a combo platter." _And if you order any of those, you get one Ladybug free with that! But you won't find that out until later._

"Aren't they both combo platters, Plagg? They each come with a free feline Kwami, and I'm not quite sure what to do about that."

"You come with one, too, and she doesn't seem to have a problem with THAT," Plagg argued.

"I'm trying to be serious," Adrien mumbled. "When I first reached Tigresse this afternoon, she just about took my head off - and she MIGHT'VE taken Psiphon's off if I hadn't calmed her down. She had those golden eyes again. Plagg, how much do I have to worry about Feliss going out of control and making Marinette do something terrible?"

Plagg thought for a moment. "I won't say it's impossible. Feliss is... you know how I'm Destruction incarnate, and Tikki is Creation? Feliss is Passion. Perfect for a jungle cat - she just creeps up on you when you're not looking and then takes you off your feet, y'know? Passion and self-control don't always play well together, and you're right; I think Tigresse got her bell rung by Psiphon and Feliss took over for a few minutes. Maybe she was just trying to scare the villain into giving up or running away? I'd have to ask her to be sure."

Adrien looked quite curious. "Is taking control... something YOU would ever do, Plagg?"

"Nah. I'm too lazy for that," grinned the Kwami. "I'm an eater and a napper, not a fighter. That's why you have Cataclysm; you fire it up, you just touch something, whammo, it's gone! No hard work for me."

"Very true," smiled Adrien. "But Feliss seems to like getting her hands dirty. Paws, I mean."

"That's her style, yeah. And Marinette is gentle at heart; Feliss isn't. I mean, don't get me wrong, she's not a vicious killer; she'd rather play with her prey than mangle it. But if you get her mad..." Plagg shuddered. "Just _don't_ get her mad."

"Was that kiss on the nose today just Feliss playing with her prey?" Adrien wondered.

"I... think that was a _lot_ more Marinette than Feliss! Being Tigresse may make her more playful and confident, but that kiss was Marinette being sweet and sincere, not Feliss being seductive," Plagg noted. "And Marinette was definitely in control of Tigresse when she did that. But I think that nose kiss was also pretty innocent."

"And the one earlier?" Now Plagg had Adrien's complete attention. "When I was myself, not Chat Noir?"

Plagg gave him a slightly weary look, as if explaining trigonometry for the ninth time to a toddler. _I don't want to just blurt it out... but hey, she kissed him, so she opened that door for me a bit._ "I'll put it this way; maybe Feliss influenced Tigresse today, maybe she didn't. I mean, you act differently as Chat than as Adrien, right? So maybe Tigresse being playful and flirty is just Marinette's personality amped up, like how you play it up some as Chat? It's still HER, of course, just in a different mindset..."

"But Marinette was just Marinette when she kissed your cheek. Those eyes were pure blue. Take that however you want to! I know you liked it - and she sure seemed happy that you did."

"Yeah..." sighed Adrien, with a soft smile. "I really wasn't expecting that... but I'm not complaining! No one's ever kissed me before and, well, meant it, you know?"

"And you know what I'm going to tell you now, right?" laughed Plagg. "You said you were going to go compare notes with Marinette tonight. Get your ears on and go talk to her. Find out what SHE thinks about Feliss... and if you play your cards right, maybe even what she thought about either of those kisses."

"I'll do that, some time after dinner. Thanks for hearing me out," Adrien replied.

"No problem," the Kwami said. "Just remember who's your buddy when it's cheese time."

* * *

Back at home, Marinette dropped through the hatch into her room, sat down on her bed and took a deep breath. "Hey, Feliss? Come on out. We need to talk about this."

The tiny feline emerged from her purse without hesitation. "Yes, today had lots of excitement, didn't it? I thought you acquitted yourself quite well today, and not just in battle."

Marinette gave her a perturbed look. "We'll get back to what my lips did later. Right now I'm more worried about something else! Tikki and I have done a lot of things together, but she's _never_ left me with fuzzy patches in my memory. OR made Master Fu do something like that today! He has NEVER argued with a Kwami in front of me like that before - and certainly not in another language to keep me from hearing what he's talking about."

She looked Feliss in the eye, unafraid. "Just what did you do out there today, Feliss? What don't I know about?"

Feliss seemed unaffected by Marinette's tone. "I helped you. What else? You took a nasty fall, you were in danger, and I couldn't let one of her psychic probes hit you while you were defenseless. So I came to the front, and I ended the fight by scaring Psiphon off."

"By offering to take her head off her shoulders? I caught THAT much," Marinette replied. "I don't know if you thought you would actually do that, but she sure did. Were you seriously thinking about clawing HER?"

"I would have offered to kiss her cheek and take her out for coffee, but I don't think that would've persuaded her," the Kwami grumbled. "I sensed a vulnerability and I seized it. She was nervous and vulnerable, and intimidating her was the smart play."

"You sensed MY vulnerability and seized it, too! I've been hit a lot harder than that as Ladybug and come up swinging," accused Marinette. "I know that I can give you control if I have to, so it makes some sense that you COULD just take it. What alarms me is that you actually DID, while I had deadly weapons on my hands."

"That's... fair, I suppose," mused Feliss. "I can see how that could make you uncomfortable, so I will apologize for that, as long as you understand why I did it."

"I do, even if I don't agree with it," she replied. "Now... is it going to happen again?"

"If it's needed? Yes," the Kwami said, bluntly. "But we can talk it out and agree upon where and when there is a need."

"We will. But it's not just about full control, either," Marinette continued. "Which brings me back to my lips. And stop grinning, this is serious..."

Feliss did her best to muzzle her visible excitement over the change of topic. "Go ahead, child."

* * *

"So far today, I've kissed Adrien, for the first time ever... in part because of a little tiger whispering in my ear to do it. And I agree with you that it might have worked out well, but I still feel a little bit pushed into it. Then I kissed Chat Noir on the nose... right after being a spectator in my own head."

Marinette looked at Feliss, her eyes more pleading than accusatory now. "Feliss... were either of those kisses MY idea... or yours? How much are you influencing how I think, especially when I'm in costume?"

"They were both yours, Marinette, I promise," said the Kwami.

"How can I be sure of that?" she asked.

"If I'm that untrustworthy, if my promise means nothing, I can just go back in the box," Feliss sniffed. "Yes, I did control you briefly today, but once Chat arrived and calmed me down, you went right back to full control. Do you feel different as Tigresse than as Marinette? Of course you do! But that's because you're charged up with magic, your senses are different, your whole world is different then. People don't see you and treat you the same way, and so you react differently as well. Do you not feel a difference from your normal self when you're Ladybug?"

"Don't even go there," mumbled Marinette. "Thinking about that is a great way to get me soul-searching all night."

"So perhaps you kissed Chat Noir out of excitement, feeling giddy after your first fight as Tigresse, grateful for his help. Is that so wrong? If I had been in control, child, that kiss wouldn't have been on his nose."

"Which is another reason I'm hesitant to give you control," grinned Marinette, red-faced. "That can get me in more trouble than the claws can."

"And when you kissed your sweet Adrien... did I suggest it just before? Certainly. But I don't need to be in your mind to know just how long you've wanted to kiss that boy," smiled Feliss. "What has stopped you from doing that?"

"I'm... uh..." Marinette struggled for the words. "I just... CAN'T! Even in the little time you've seen me, you know how nervous I am around him; I turn into a babbling idiot every time he smiles at me. If I do that, I'll screw it up somehow and ruin everything, or he'll just laugh at me and I'll be crushed."

"Why would he laugh at you? He likes you, very much; anyone can see that. You're beautiful, you're compassionate, you're endearing. And you're looking at me right now like I'm speaking nonsense, and THAT is the underlying problem, Marinette," said Feliss, pointedly.

"It is?" she answered, wide-eyed.

"You are confident and secure in almost every aspect of your life, child, except for one huge one - how you think others see you, particularly your loved one. You have your Adrien up on a pedestal that you're sure you can never reach," Feliss replied. "You've talked yourself into believing that whatever you do to win his heart will fail, because you don't truly believe you are worthy of that, or that you have and are something he would want. You don't even consider the possibilities of success! And that is a very human thing; I've seen it in humans I've known for hundreds of years. And I always respond to it the same way..."

Feliss flew up very close. "HE... is human, too. Just like you."

"Well, I know THAT! But he's..." Marinette trailed off.

"...a schoolboy. A handsome one, I'll grant, and certainly personable, but a schoolboy nonetheless, who's probably never kissed a girl before! Very susceptible to the charms of a beautiful classmate who's befriended him, knows him well, gained his confidence, and has now broken the ice by kissing him, however innocently. You know just how wonderful you would be for him as his partner, yes? All the ways in which you would make his heart sing and his will crumble and his dreams become real?"

"Uh-huh..." said Marinette, absently.

"HE doesn't. Not YET. Because you haven't told him, shown him, and made him realize it yet," Feliss said. "Because you're scared that he'll say 'no.' AND you're scared that he'll say 'yes.'"

Marinette was speechless, processing all of this.

"This afternoon, you heard my suggestion and you didn't stop to think about it, or plan it out, or calculate the perfect angle from which to approach him; it just felt right. You just DID IT! You kissed him. And then you reacted _just right_ and I was proud of you - you stayed right by his side to show him that you meant it, you kept your cool, and then you left him wanting more. I saw his face, Marinette; you got his attention, _and he's wanting more_."

Her face lit up at Feliss's last line. "You're sure? You really think so?" she asked, daring to hope.

"Just because you're confident doesn't mean he'll fall in love overnight, or that you'll do everything right along the way," cautioned Feliss. "It's a long road to walk, and you'll walk it slowly if you're wise. But knowing and admitting to yourself _that_ _you're lovable and desirable_ is the biggest obstacle you have. And it might be the only one."

"Marinette! Dinner is ready!" she heard her mother call from downstairs.

"Coming!" she responded, then looked back at Feliss. "We're not done with this... but are we at least on the same page?"

Feliss smiled, "I think so. Go, be with your family."

Marinette ran downstairs, leaving Feliss curled up in a little ball on her desk. _Same page, yes. Same book, that remains to be seen..._

* * *

Next time:

* Chat stops by, with a lot to talk about.

* Psiphon runs her ideas past Hawkmoth.

* Marinette has a dinnertime talk with her parents about things.

* Another day at school, with some interesting looks from the peanut gallery.

* With all this talk about kissing, maybe more practice is called for...


	4. When Thy Heart Begins To Beat

Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright, Chapter 4: When Thy Heart Begins To Beat

* * *

Marinette hurried downstairs in response to her mother's dinner summons; tonight was a beef stew that'd been simmering on the stove for a while, and smelled delicious. She greeted both parents warmly as she settled in at her seat at the table.

"How are you feeling, dear?" her mother asked. "You seemed a little... preoccupied when you first got home today."

"Preoccupied?" Tom asked.

"Well, maybe that's not the word for it... but definitely distracted. In a good way. How did school go?" added Sabine.

"Not bad at all, really! Everyone had lots of questions, but there wasn't all that much to tell," Marinette replied. "That villain zapped me, Chat Noir protected me, I feel a lot better. No real aftereffects."

"I still say I should've taken you to the doctor's, just to get you looked over," her mother fussed. "You're SURE you don't want to get checked out?"

"No, I don't think I need it, though I understand your worry," she said. "Believe me, if I was still feeling it, I'd be the first to say 'let's go,' but I feel perfectly clear now."

"How about the other thing after school? That'd be enough to get anyone feeling lightheaded," smiled Sabine.

Tom saw Marinette blush and noted, "Now, this I didn't hear about..."

Sabine held her hand up, pretending to shield her face from Marinette, and said in a deliberately-too-loud whisper, "SOMEONE kissed her little blonde friend!"

A crimson Marinette put her fork down and covered her face with her hands. "It was just a LITTLE PECK ON THE CHEEK, Mom! It barely counted."

"Well, all right!" her father smiled. "It's about time. What brought that on?"

"Oh... he walked me home and wanted to make sure I was all right, he was being SO sweet with me, I went to say goodbye and I just couldn't resist," glowed Marinette. "I didn't stop to think, I just did it."

"Judging from his face, he didn't expect it, but his smile told me how much he really liked it," grinned Sabine.

"Of course he would!" declared Tom, gesturing at his daughter. "Who would turn down a kiss from a beautiful girl like this? Have you talked to him since, Marinette?"

"Not yet. I went up for a nap afterwards," she replied. "Maybe I'll text him tonight. I don't want to be clingy. Also, I'm kind of expecting my other blonde friend to drop by tonight..."

"Your _chaton?_ " Tom asked. "Thank you for the warning! I'll head up to the balcony after dinner and wait for him. Should I use the broom or the bread paddle to chase him off?"

Marinette rolled her eyes. "Dad, you _know_ Chat Noir is perfectly harmless."

"No teenage boy is perfectly harmless," he replied, but with a knowing grin.

* * *

After dessert, Marinette headed back upstairs to finish up some homework before her expected guess appeared. Feliss floated nearby, eager to stir the pot.

"So your cat is visiting you tonight?" she inquired, pitching her voice innocently.

"He said he would," replied Marinette. "We have some talking to do about the villain fight today, plus he does that fairly often just to hang out and spend time. He's a sweetheart."

"Tell me again why Ladybug never took him as her own?" asked Feliss.

"Because of a lot of reasons?" Marinette replied. "He's a great partner - the best I could ever ask for. But he hits on Ladybug like a hungry dog chasing a squirrel, or at least he used to. We've talked it out since, I know he's... a lot more sincere than I thought he was, but I still think we're much better as partners than trying to make dating work. We're supposed to keep our real identities secret, and I take that seriously, and dating could complicate that _so much_. Along with the fact that he's not Adrien."

Marinette gave Feliss a dirty look, hearing her snicker at that last part. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing, child. So if Ladybug can't, tell me again why MARINETTE never took Chat as her own?"

"Tell me again why we're even talking about this?" asked Marinette, a little bit exasperated. "I know I don't see Chat Noir that way. I know he doesn't see ME that way; he's crazy about Ladybug, I'm crazy about Adrien."

"And yet you kissed him today," Feliss noted, with a subtle smile.

"I... that was an innocent thank you! And you know that, Feliss," Marinette protested.

"How many other times have you thanked him like that, innocently?" the Kwami purred.

"None? But... okay, I'm still getting used to having you on board instead of Tikki," she admitted. "Your transformation just feels... different. Not bad different, just different! It's like, when I'm Tigresse, I have emotional rushes and all this energy and I just feel all charged up inside! I'm still assuming that I'm not being influenced _directly_ by you..."

"And I'm still sticking by that," stated Feliss. "You know how hard you have to concentrate to hear my voice when you're transformed. Playing games with someone who's hosting me is a great way to get them distracted or killed."

"I'll believe that, then. I like that answer," smiled Marinette. "But even without that, I just feel... well, _kittenish_ inside! Like, when I mentioned whiskers and Chat gave me that look, I couldn't help but bait him in, then kiss him just because I knew the look on his face would be priceless, and I wanted to play with that. That's... not LIKE the normal me! As Ladybug, I just want to get the job done right and safely and then get home."

"Chat Noir adores you. You do know that, right?" Feliss asked, gently.

"Oh, I know how much he really thinks of Ladybug," she said. "Like I told you, he's not a sidekick, he's my partner."

"I didn't say 'he adores Ladybug,'" chided Feliss, leaving that hanging in the air.

"Then... what _are_ you saying?" asked Marinette, with a curious expression on her face.

A telltale *TH-BMMP!" from above announced Chat Noir's arrival.

"Why don't you go ask him yourself?" the Kwami grinned. "I think you two have lots to talk about."

"Are you coming up with me?" Marinette asked. "He may have some of the same questions that Master Fu did."

"If you need me, child, open the hatch and call. Otherwise, I think I'll let you two have some private time," she purred. "Or I'll just wander the neighborhood if I get hungry."

That triggered another thought in Marinette. "You know what? I've never used the Tiger's Roar, so I didn't think to ask, but... Tikki likes sweets most of all. What do you like to eat to recharge?"

"Oh, the macarons you've had handy so far are fine as snacks. I do prefer to catch my own dinner, though. Some of the birds around here are quite tasty!" Feliss smiled, licking her lips.

"On that note..." Marinette muttered, shaking her head as she went up the ladder to the balcony.

* * *

Marinette went upstairs and found Chat stretched out in a lounge chair, waiting for her. "Good evening, Princess," he grinned at her.

"Hello, handsome," she smiled back. "What's new and exciting?"

"Oh, a little bit of of our usual hanging out together, plus I wanted to talk about that Psiphon fight with you. You said you figured out something about her powers?" he asked.

"Yes, I did!" Marinette declared, proudly. "She has at least two kinds of psychic projections; one is energy, and that's what she hit me with the other morning. The others are solid telekinetic force, like she's throwing mental concrete around. I don't know if your baton can smash through either of them... but Tigresse's claws can, and when I did that Psiphon yelped like she was in pain from the feedback."

"Interesting... I'll have to try a full-force swing at one and see if I can make a dent," Chat admired. "That'll be important to know for fighting her. What else jumped out at you?"

"She can do multiple shapes at once. Like, at one point she had a defensive wall and sent a column flying out of it like a lance at me. I don't know if she can make them sharp, or just blunt force, but either way I'd rather not get hit and find out."

"Also good to know. She seems to like artists and creative types, so maybe she'll figure out how to use those in more creative ways. I hope not... let's try and defeat her before she does," he pondered.

"Speaking of that! Master Fu told me about the container he gave you, the one that can capture an Akuma or an object it's possessing. I think I have a... what?" Marinette trailed off.

"MASTER Fu? You... know about who - about what he really is?" Chat said, with visible surprise.

"I, um..." _Oops!_ "I do now! I went back to see him so he could check on how I was recovering, I had Feliss with me, and he sensed her the moment I walked in and introduced himself properly. No wonder he knew how to heal me from Psiphon's attack so well!" Marinette shrugged, hoping Chat was buying it. "Small world, right?"

Chat just shook his head. "He didn't tell me about himself for, like, months... but okay, whatever," he smiled. "Somehow I can see how he'd trust you completely."

She smiled at that, a little shyly. "Flattery will get you everywhere, Kitty. What's the container all about?"

"It's glass, it's got Chinese writing and symbols all over it, nothing I can read. He told me that if we can get either the Akuma or the object inside it, it'll hold it for maybe an hour... so we have that long to get it back to Master Fu and hope he can do something with it." Chat looked fairly serious, for once. "But we only have the one, and it's glass, so we have to be careful with it. When I came to you this morning, I didn't have time to go back to my house and get it."

"Feliss did whip up something that works as a communicator for me," Marinette replied. "So if I'm out somewhere and find Psiphon, I should be able to call you and give you warning for that."

"Good," Chat smiled, "that'll be a huge help." He thought for a moment and his smile faded slightly. "Is Feliss... here right now?"

"She said she was waiting downstairs unless I needed her. Do I?" she answered.

"Not yet... but I wanted to talk to you about her, privately. Can we do that now?" he asked.

"Sure."

* * *

Chat hesitated, trying to ask what he wanted to ask tactfully. "When you are Tigresse... I've seen you give full control to Feliss once. I saw it in your eyes then, and I talked to her directly. Do you feel like she's influencing you the rest of the time, or that she's ever just... taken over?"

Marinette looked down. "She and I have had a couple of talks about that. She DID take full control during the fight this afternoon, but she swears she's deep in the background the rest of the time, and that what Tigresse does then is all me." She took a deep breath. "Did I do something... or did she _mak_ _e me_ do something awful?"

"Nothing terrible, but I could tell the moment I got there that you weren't... you," Chat explained. "It was your body, but something fierce and angry and ruthless was in control of it. Plagg told me, 'don't ever get Feliss mad,' and I can see why! And I can see why Psiphon ran like a bunny."

"It's a worry for me," Marinette admitted. "Those claws are ridiculously sharp. Magically sharp, even. I could barely sense her saying 'I'm gonna cut your head off,' and it terrifies me that I'm going to wake up in Tigresse's costume and find someone dead or maimed in front of me."

"You say you talked to her about it? What did she say?" her partner asked, anxiously.

"She seems to understand why I'm upset, both about that and that she took control without asking. She says we'll talk about setting boundaries later, and I want to believe her... she DOES seem to have my best interests at heart in other things we've talked about. She's good deep down; I can tell. But she's very strong-willed - I mean, she's a tiger! - and she'd rather ask forgiveness than permission most of the time. I'm afraid that it might be a mental wrestling match sometimes."

"Master Fu did tell me that the Miraculouses of this kind could be more assertive, and that it would take a strong will to keep them under control. That's one reason I came to you with this one, Marinette... you might be the strongest person I know."

Chat's eyes were sincere, and made Marinette melt inside. "If I was so strong, I could actually tell my crush how I feel instead of babbling at him," she sighed.

"We all have our weak points. I'm pretty hopeless with girls myself, as I know you've noticed repeatedly," he chuckled. "But I know you well enough to know what you're like around everyone _other than_ your Mystery Guy... and that girl is amazing."

Marinette looked at him, wide-eyed, then cast her eyes downwards, shyly. "Is there anything.. else I've done lately that made you wonder if I'm under control?" she asked him.

"Well..." To her amazement, Chat also looked away shyly and even blushed a little. "You did kiss me today. That was new."

* * *

Marinette opened her mouth but was silent, trying to figure out how to respond... and a strange impulse seized her, a confident and playful spirit. _Wow, he's off-balance!_ she thought. _I bet I can have fun with this..._

She smiled and asked Chat, brightly, "...You didn't like it?"

"No! I, uh... of course, I liked it!" Now he was REALLY blushing, which Marinette found intriguing; it was so out of the norm for him. "It just really surprised me, you know? And I wanted to make sure that I understood where it was coming from."

"From Tigresse's lips, silly kitty," she giggled. "What else could I kiss you with?"

"Marinette!" he managed. "I'm serious. I don't want to make a big deal about it if it isn't one, but I'm... curious. I've just never known you to be the kissing type, even just friendly kisses."

"Maybe you were just being that sweet to me. Maybe I figured I needed to start practicing kissing sometime, and you were there. Maybe I finally fell hard for your roguish feline charms, and just couldn't resist any longer," Marinette fluttered, still giggling.

"Now, that last one, even I'M not buying," Chat parried. "But when I've seen Feliss controlling Tigresse... I just wanted to make sure that that was Marinette kissing my nose, no matter why she did it, not Feliss. Know what I'm saying?"

"Well, I'm not Tigresse right now. Why don't you come over here and find out?" she grinned, dangerously.

Her grin wavered a tiny bit when Chat walked over and knelt down next to her. _Holy crap, he did!_ she thought.

"Do you still want to kiss me now, Marinette?" he asked, his casual smile giving nothing away.

* * *

 _Do I?_

It seemed like it should be the easiest question in the world for her to answer. _It really should be, right_?

"I- I-" she stuttered, then recovered enough to turn the question around on him. "That all depends, Chat Noir. Would you _want_ me to kiss you? Right here, right now?"

Now she could see his confident front waver a bit. "I wouldn't... want you to do anything you felt pressured into, or weren't confident about, Marinette," he said, quietly. "If I gave you the impression that I-"

He froze in place... as Marinette leaned forward suddenly, planting a soft kiss on the end of his nose, then leaning back with a nervous smile.

"Feliss is teaching me one important thing, Chat Noir," she said, trying not to crack up at the look on his face. "That sometimes I have to get over myself, stop being afraid of how other people are going to react, and just stop thinking and _do_ little things to show them how I feel."

"Someday... I think I'm going to learn how to open up like that, myself," Chat breathed, just above a whisper.

"You're wonderful, Chat," she beamed. "You're caring, you're protective, you're sensitive, and you're a great friend and a great partner, and you're a _complete goober._ All of which are reasons why I'm always glad that you're around."

Marinette looked him in the eye and continued, "And I know that you CAN take chances like that, because you did it with Ladybug! And maybe she didn't respond quite the way you'd hoped... but someday, the right girl will."

"And if I'm really lucky, she'll be just like you, Marinette," he smiled back.

* * *

"Now, I think I need to go lie down for a while and explain to myself how I just got the nerve to DO that..." panted Marinette, which made them both laugh aloud.

"And I should probably get home before my dad notices that I'm gone again," Chat exhaled. "You're... obviously more relaxed than I thought you'd about the whole Feliss situation, and that's good. If you need to talk about anything, I'm available any time, okay?"

"I know, Chat, and thank you... and that goes both ways."

She hugged him to say goodnight, and let go... and was surprised when Chat didn't. He gave her a steady look for several seconds, leaned in very slowly... he watched her eyes grow huge... and then he leaned upwards and kissed her on the forehead, very gently.

"I'm not going to be the only one going to bed tonight with weak knees," Chat grinned... then hopped away across the rooftops, heading for home.

* * *

Marinette headed back down into her room, a little unsteady.

"I told you," laughed Feliss.

"Told me what?" asked Marinette, warily.

"That Chat Noir adores you, Marinette. That you could make him yours completely with one embrace, one passionate kiss, if you meant it." the Kwami answered. "If you dared."

"You've been in my head, Feliss. And you really think that Chat's who and what I want?" parried Marinette. "You don't know me as well as you think you do."

 _I know _precisely_ that Chat is who you want, Marinette. YOU don't know that Chat is who you want - on multiple levels. He keeps secrets from you and you keep secrets from you, and the dance continues on..._

Feliss let that thought float in her mind, laughing hard inside, but said nothing else out loud.

* * *

The next morning, Marinette walked to school with more than a few butterflies in her stomach, not sure quite what to expect. She had about a hundred different potential reactions from Adrien in her mind, and at least four of them were plausible. _The suspense is killing me!_ she thought.

As she reached the front steps, Alya all but pounced on her, extremely excited. "MARINETTE!" she panted. "Did you see my story on the new hero in town?"

"Actually, not yet," Marinette replied. "Who is he?"

"My goodness!" Alya intoned, overdramatically, "Why do I spend all my time and effort updating the LadyBlog if my friends aren't going to devote their whole existence to reading it? It's not a he, it's a she, and she's nothing like we've ever seen before! Look at this footage!"

Marinette looked at Alya's outstretched cell phone and saw a bystander's video of her confrontation with Psiphon. "Ooooh, a tiger girl! I like her outfit! She's cute," Marinette grinned.

"Yeah, right NOW she's cute as the dickens... but keep watching," Alya said. "What do you see?"

"What do you... ow! I bet that hurt," noted Marinette, watching herself fly through the air from Psiphon's force push. "Her eyes just flashed bright gold, and..."

Marinette's hands went over her mouth as she saw her own transformation as Feliss took over - the change in posture, in attitude, in aggressiveness. "WHOA!" she gasped, watching as the newly-aggressive Tigresse clawed projections out of the air effortlessly and offered to give Psiphon the shortest haircut she'd ever had. "It's like someone flipped a light switch from 'adorable' to 'deadly.'"

"And Psiphon flipped a switch from 'villain' to 'freaking RUUUUUUN!' just as fast," admired Alya. "And she's not done yet..."

They watched Chat Noir's sudden arrival, and this time Marinette gasped out loud as she saw the claws turn with her in Chat's direction. _DID I THREATEN _HIM_? He didn't TELL me that!_

"Did she just..." began Marinette.

"Oh, they made up quickly," Alya grinned... as they watched Tigresse get Chat Noir in close and kiss him on the nose. "Someone's making new friends," she quipped. "Poor Ladybug!"

"...Poor?" Marinette asked. "I thought he was the one chasing her, not the other way around! Maybe she'll be happy if he finds someone new to chase after. Besides, that was just a cute little kiss... What'd she call herself there? Tigresse?"

"La Tigresse, it sounded like, yeah," confirmed Alya. "What do you think? More heroes are always a good thing, but she might be as dangerous as the villains..."

"Give her a chance, Alya," chided Marinette. "She's new at this. I'm sure she'll find the right balance before long. I'm guessing she's one of those temporary helping-out heroes... like Rena Rouge? SHE seemed to pick it up pretty fast, wouldn't you say?"

"That, uh, wouldn't surprise me," Alya evaded. "And yeah, she did... Shall we head inside, Marinette?"

"Yeah, let's," she grinned, knowingly.

* * *

Inside, the classmates engaged in their usual pre-class chatter. Marinette kept at least one eye at a time on the door, for obvious reasons.

Alya, of course, noticed her focus. "So, did you two have a nice talk yesterday, after we left?" she asked Marinette, hopefully.

"I would say so," smiled Marinette. "We talked for a little while about the Psiphon thing, he walked me home, he got some things from the bakery..."

"Cool!" cooed Alya. "I was hoping that -"

Marinette leaned up close to Alya's ear, with a whisper. "And I kissed him on the cheek."

"WHAAAAAT?" Alya exclaimed loudly, loud enough that even Ms. Bustier turned to see her startled expression. She waved everyone off, muttering "Nothing, nothing," sheepishly, then cornered Marinette in a low voice. "And you didn't think _that was worth mentioning before now?_ "

Right about then, Nino and Adrien came in, just before class was to start. _Be confident,_ Marinette told herself. _Trust your instincts. Don't make it weird. He probably won't even say or do anything differently than..._

Marinette's insides percolated as she watched Adrien carefully. His eyes were on her from the moment he entered the room, and instead of sitting in his seat immediately, he leaned across to talk with her. "Hi, Marinette!" he smiled, warmly.

She managed a smile and a tiny wave in his direction. "H-hi!" she replied. "What's up?"

"I, uh, wanted to thank you for helping me pick out those pastries yesterday... they were a huge hit! My father said he hasn't had opera cake that tasty in years," he beamed. "And my bodyguard went through the cream puffs in nothing flat. I've never seen him eat like that."

"Great!" Marinette answered. "I'll tell my parents that; they'll love the compliment."

"I was wondering... are those an everyday thing, or does your father make those special? The cream puffs, I mean," Adrien asked.

"Not every day... when the mood hits him, I guess you could say. Why do you ask?" she said.

"I was thinking that if he had some today... I could walk home with you again and pick up some more to take home with me, if that'd be okay with you?"

Marinette's jaw wobbled. _Adrien Agreste, you can walk home with me again and take me home with you, if that'd be okay with you. _"Ah, um, of course! I'd like that, Adrien," she managed. "I'll text him between classes and make sure he makes a batch today."

"Awesome! I'll wait for you after school, then?" Adrien's smile tried to melt grooves through the top of Marinette's desk, and nearly succeeded.

"I'll be there," she smiled. The two returned their focus to the front of the room, as Ms. Bustier was just getting her lesson started.

* * *

Sitting next to Alya had its advantages for Marinette - the two could exchange thoughts on their notepads without physically passing notes and getting caught.

DID I JUST SEE...

I THINK YOU DID!

ADRIEN IS FINDING REASONS TO WALK YOU HOME NOW?

HEY, THEY'RE GREAT CREAM PUFFS

AND YOU KISSED HIM?

I DID

ONE LITTLE THANK YOU PECK ON THE CHEEK

WHAT DID HE DO?!

LOOKED VERY VERY SURPRISED

BUT HAPPY

WHAT DID YOU DO AFTER?

WENT INSIDE

LOOKED VERY VERY VERY SURPRISED

BUT HAPPY

TALK MORE LATER?

SURE THING

The pair shared a knowing smile and looked back up at Ms. Bustier, lest they be noticed and asked to perform a dramatic recital for the class's benefit.

* * *

Across town, another person was also in the mood to compare notes.

Psiphon huddled in her bedroom, her door locked, a dresser up against the door, under her covers. "HAWKMOTH!" she hissed, for the umpteenth time.

Finally, blessedly, she felt his energy signature on her face. "Psiphon!" he called out. "I... apologize for being out of contact; I had some business to attend to. How is your pursuit of the Miraculouses going... and where are you? Everything's all... grey and white."

"I am under my comforter in my bed, thank you very much, getting ready to telekinetically impale the first thing that moves anywhere near me. Where do you THINK I AM? I am HIDING so my head doesn't get lopped off, and hoping she can't smell me from here!" Psiphon shouted at him. "And I don't know that I'm going to sleep tonight!"

Hawkmoth rolled his eyes. "Artists," he mumbled to himself. Out loud, he said, "Calm yourself. I'm pretty sure she was bluffing about decapitation; she's a hero. Heroes don't do that kind of thing."

"The hero that first showed up wouldn't. The one she turned into after I hit her... she'd sell my parts on eBay."

"Okay, you do have a point there," Hawkmoth mused. "That was a Jekyll-and-Hyde of the highest order! I've never seen anything quite like that before. But, still, you're going to let one little schoolgirl frighten you away?"

"I've been trying to come up with ideas on how to keep her at a distance... but I'm not getting very far with what I've drawn up. Since she can cut through whatever I create AND it hurts me when she does that..."

"Fine. Show me what you have so far. I'll try to help."

Skittishly, Psiphon emerged from her pillow fort and pushed her dresser out of the way, opening the door and going to her studio room where her sketchpad and canvases were.

"Okay, Plan A... Some of these are better than others," she began, hesitantly.

"Just show me," assured the archvillain.

"Plan A, I call the One-Way Ticket to Pluto. I distract her with something, make kind of a bowl shape underneath her... and just push it with a force column as high as I can go with it," said Psiphon. "I don't know how high I can send her, but I'm hoping she'll show up on air traffic controllers' radar."

"And when she's halfway to the ionosphere and says 'Hey, I need to get down from here' and slices straight down through it?" asked Hawkmoth.

"I'm kind of hoping she'll be too afraid of heights to do that. But I don't know... so I'll move on to the next one," Psiphon admitted. "Plan B is the Stake-Out... I can't really fine-tune my force projections too well, but if I can make an arch shape at the end of it... I'm hoping I can catch each of her wrists and pin them to something. She can't hit it with her claws if she can't bend her wrists that far."

"Better! It'll take good aim or some finesse to get both at once, but it's theoretically sound. Does... she have foot claws as well?"

Psiphon turned a little bit green. "I... certainly hope not."

"Well, put that in the Maybe pile. What's next?" he asked.

She flipped the canvas to the next sheet, and Hawkmoth saw a giant psychic Trojan horse, filled with hidden psychic swordsmen. "Pretend you didn't see that," Psiphon blushed, moving on.

Hawkmoth watched in increasing dismay as the ideas continued and became more outlandish and impractical. "She'd recognize that one instantly... No, we don't have that kind of budget... Where would you ever find a parakeet that large?... I did that one once, and it didn't work when I tried it... I like that one, but it's no given that we could get selected to represent France in Eurovision... Badgers just don't work like that... oh, come on, now. This is pointless!"

"I am, as they say, open to ideas before I get stabbed to death," complained Psiphon.

"I'm thinking. I believe you may be on the right track in that we don't need to destroy Tigresse, rather merely find a way to contain her, or force her to surrender her Miraculous," Hawkmoth pondered. "And I may not even need that Miraculous at all, since Chat Noir's and Ladybug's are the important ones for my purposes... but no Miraculous, no deadly claws. We just need to figure out where hers is; be on the lookout for some unusual jewelry."

"If I get close enough, sure. Which I have no intention of doing," whimpered the nervous villain, "until we have a game plan."

"FINE," sighed Hawkmoth. "I will think something up. For now, and I can't believe I'm saying this out loud... return to your pillow fort and wait for instructions."

* * *

Through force of will alone, Marinette made herself concentrate on her schoolwork through the rest of her classes. In her last class, she asked to be excused briefly, and headed to the bathroom for a quick head-to-head with her Kwami.

"Okay, Feliss... your romantic advice for ADRIEN has been on the money so far. He's walking me home again... what would you recommend?" asked Marinette, anxiously.

"You're not ready for what I'd recommend, child," Feliss said with an evil grin. "But, for now... take today slowly. Let's see what he does. Remain close, but let him make the first move."

At Marinette's questioning expression, Feliss continued, "He's already initiated things by asking to walk with you. I sensed that it was a welcome surprise for you, so it's not something he does often?"

"It isn't," she admitted. "I live close to the school, so it's not going far out of his way to do it... but usually he goes to his car and I just walk home."

"So, your peck yesterday did catch his attention, as well it should've! That should be a boost for your ego - you made a slightly romantic overture to your boy, and now he wants to follow you home. What do you think he'll want to do when he gets you there?"

"If I knew that," Marinette said, "I wouldn't be in a bathroom stall right now, talking into my purse."

"Heh. Your innocence is so refreshing, Marinette! I haven't met anyone quite like you in ages. Let me put it another way for you... you baited your trap, and now the mouse is definitely interested in it. We will not scare him away just yet. Let him come in closer, and we will see if he's taken the bait or is still sniffing at it. A tiger knows how to stalk... and to wait... until precisely the right moment arrives, and then you pounce."

"You make love sound so violent," Marinette ventured, carefully. "Like a jungle battle, eat-or-be-eaten."

"That's why it's so much fun," laughed Feliss. "Because as a beautiful young woman, YOU are at the top of the food chain. You just need to learn what hunting tools and skills you already possess."

"If... you say so," grinned Marinette, half-heartedly. "But it does make sense to me to follow his lead today. Do I even want to know what the next lesson will be?"

"That depends on one very important thing," offered Feliss. "Whether or not HE pounces."

* * *

As the last bell rang, Marinette and Alya walked together to the front door, Marinette grinning from ear to ear and vainly trying to suppress it. _At least I'm keeping myself from sprinting over there,_ she thought. Alya watched her closely, trying to believe her own eyes with regard to what was about to happen.

They saw Adrien leaning against the doorframe, and the tingling within Marinette redoubled. "Easy, girl," Alya smiled. "He won't bite."

 _Ten more steps... five more steps... two more steps..._ she opened her mouth to greet him...

"Adriekinssssss!" echoed through the front courtyard, and Marinette strongly considered transforming on the spot so as to chase Chloé halfway to Verdun.

Adrien motioned a quick _Shhh!_ to Marinette and Alya, with a wink, then turned and said, "Hi, Chloé. What's up?"

"I couldn't help but notice that your car's not here today, Adrien!" Chloé said, pleased with her deductive prowess. "Is he late?"

"Kind of," said Adrien. "He won't be meeting me until later."

"Wonderful! I mean, like, not really wonderful for you... but I'll be MORE than happy to give you a ride home with me, Adriekins! What else are besties for?" she simpered.

"That's a generous offer, Chloé... but I kind of already have a walking date planned," he smiled back.

The word "date" echoed even louder through the front courtyard, as it was one that had never before been detected coming from Adrien's lips, and many a curious head turned to observe. Even Marinette caught herself wondering _He has a DATE? Who's it with?_

In his head, Adrien counted to three, then turned towards the young ladies just inside the door. "Ah, there you are, Marinette! Are you ready?" He reached his hand out towards her, and Marinette stood still and confused for a moment before she realized he intended for her to take it and hold it.

Fireworks went off in Marinette's brain. Big ones. The kind that light up the whole night sky when they explode.

Finally, she reached out and took his hand as if that was no big deal. "Sure, Adrien!" she smiled, making sure that Chloé saw it. "How could I resist your invitation?"

The two strolled down the front steps of the school, conscious that all around them heads were turning and jaws were dropping. She was sure she heard a few silent cheers from her girlfriends, and Alya looked like she was about to burst.

"HUMPH!" Chloé muttered, loudly enough to make sure she was heard by everyone. "Every dog has its day, I suppose."

 _Nope, you're not ruining this,_ thought Marinette. She paused briefly, turned, grinned back at Chloé and said one word before they continued on:

"Woof."

* * *

The pair walked far enough down the block to be out of hearing range before Marinette asked, "Not that I'm complaining, but what was that all about?"

"I didn't intend to make a public spectacle out of today... but I know you well enough to know that when Chloé tried to steal your spotlight by jumping on me, you'd enjoy rubbing her nose in it a little," Adrien grinned.

"That... probably doesn't speak well for my character, Adrien... but, yeah, you know me well," she giggled. "Call it a guilty pleasure on the rare chances I get for that."

"You don't have to keep holding my hand, by the way," Adrien added, looking down. "If you're not comfortable with it, or if you don't want to."

"And if I am comfortable?" Marinette smiled, trying to hold her core temperature down below a rolling boil.

"Then I don't mind, either," he said, with a smile of his own, and they continued their walk and small talk.

* * *

Sabine spotted their hand-holding the instant they approached the bakery, of course. She kept her best poker face on as they passed through the front door, but gave Marinette a giant smile and a thumbs-up once he turned away to look at one of the display cases. Marinette grinned back and mouthed I KNOW, RIGHT? silently.

"There's my best customer!" Tom bellowed, entering from the back room with a large white box in his hands. "Your special order, young sir," he said, handing it to him for his inspection. He looked at Marinette and subtly nudged his head towards a smaller white box, sitting on a counter on the other side of the store.

Marinette looked curiously at her father as Adrien headed to the register. "What is it?" she whispered.

"If you think he'd like it," he whispered back.

She tiptoed over and peeked in the box. Inside was a delicately layered mille-feuille, covered in swirls of white and brown icing... with a tiny red candy heart in one corner.

"DAD! You must've spent half the morning on that!" she gasped, quietly.

"Too much?" Tom whispered. "You can pluck the heart off of it, if that's too much."

"On another day... maybe. Today, that's perfect! Thank you, Dad!" she smiled at him, leaning up and hugging him quickly.

She ran back over to the register with a big grin, small box in one hand, watching Sabine once again work a Boy My Daughter's In Love With Discount into her cash register calculations. This time Adrien had the presence of mind to do mental math and realize that, but he didn't complain.

"Thank you very much, Mrs. Cheng, Mr. Dupain! They are going to love these, I'm sure," Adrien declared as he gathered his belongings and prepared to head out.

"Any time!" Sabine grinned, watching her daughter leave with him, obviously on pins and needles. "Do come again!"

* * *

This time the bodyguard had pulled the car up to the curb just outside the bakery, sparing Adrien the walk back. He saw the large white box in Adrien's hands and his face beamed obvious approval.

Adrien turned back to Marinette, shifting the box over to one arm while being careful not to drop it. "Want to do this again tomorrow? I mean, maybe not the cream puffs part every day - I want my bodyguard to be able to still fit in the car," he laughed.

"Probably a good idea... and yes, I'll always appreciate some company," Marinette answered. "And I have a little something else for you, for walking me home today..."

Adrien reacted with mild surprise, as he accepted the proffered box. "Oh - you didn't have to do that!" he replied. "It was my pleasure."

"Still," she smiled, "I can't have your bodyguard being the only one enjoying something sweet today."

"That was never in doubt," Adrien quipped, leaving his implication hanging there. "And I have something I wanted to give to you, too."

It was Marinette's turn for a surprised expression. "R-really? You didn't have to... I mean..."

"It's nothing major... Actually, it's something of yours that I took home with me yesterday. I wanted to make sure I gave it back to you," grinned Adrien.

Marinette took a quick mental inventory of the day before. _What could it be? I know nothing of mine was in his pastry box - I had all my books and things when I went in - what could..._

 _Oh!_

Adrien leaned forward slowly, then placed a soft and gentle kiss on Marinette's left cheek.

As he leaned back, he couldn't help but notice her reaction. "Shall we... are you okay, Marinette?"

Marinette's eyes were glazed, as if all of the hidden secrets of the universe had unlocked in her mind at once in one quick burst. "Uh-huh!" she managed, returning to Earth slightly with a sincere smile. "I've never been better."

"Then I'll see you tomorrow, Marinette," Adrien replied, climbing into the back seat of his car quite happily. They each managed a little wave before the bodyguard pulled the car out and headed for home.

* * *

From her purse, a tiny voice asked Marinette, "So my advice was good enough to keep me out of the jewelry box?"

"Oh, yeah," grinned Marinette. "Ohhhh, yeah, it was."

She padded slowly back into the bakery, where her mother was watching with obvious delight. "Did I just see what I think I just saw?" she asked Marinette, grinning from ear to ear.

"Thank you so much, Mom and Dad," she bubbled, heading for the stairs up to the house and her room. "I'm, uh, gonna need a moment."

"By all means," her mother laughed. She heard an excited, giggly shriek from upstairs, and said to Tom, "Maybe a little more than a moment."

* * *

Next time:

* Sometimes the simplest plans are the ones that are the most effective.

* The Girl Talk Telegraph is the fastest messaging system known.

* "Have you considered trying that... at the same time?"

* It's amazing how so few words can have such great impact.

* Isn't it about this point where things usually find a way to go sideways? ...Uh-huh.


	5. Dare its Deadly Terrors Clasp

Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright, Chapter 5: Dare Its Deadly Terrors Clasp

* * *

TRIGGER WARNING: Some minor dub-con themes inside. Nothing goes beyond kissing (and nothing will), and it's based off of an actual canon event, but I do not wish to be insensitive.

* * *

Inside Fort Fluffington, as evening arrived, Psiphon pondered whether polyfill or shredded memory foam pillows would be a better outer layer of defense against tiger claws.

 _Not to mention another pressing issue... eventually, I'm going to have to leave my protective sanctum and go and use the bathroom._

The energy signature flared once more, abruptly, and her benefactor's voice echoed in her head. "Psiphon! I have... oh. You're still hiding there," he sighed.

"Yep," said Psiphon, simply. "She hasn't found me here yet."

"She may not be LOOKING for you, Psiphon. She may be just sitting on a bench somewhere, laughing her tail off," chided Hawkmoth. "You have the unfettered power of raw creativity at your fingertips, capable of building and wielding anything you can imagine... and you're cowering like a child because a teenager made an idle threat."

"Uh-huh," agreed Psiphon. "And your point is?"

"I have given your dilemma some thought. I have a couple of ideas, but one of them is simple enough that even you can execute it properly. Your first concern, Psiphon, is that you are undoubtedly running low on mental energy by now; the fight took a lot out of you, and... er... holding in your pee also requires a lot of willpower." Hawkmoth cringed at having to speak that sentence out loud. _This telepathic connection I have with my villains isn't always a blessing._

"So you are going to have to go out into the cold, cruel world, and drain some more victims... that is, unless you'd rather be POWERLESS when Tigresse catches your scent."

"I know," she admitted. "I really wish you weren't right about that. I'm going to have to go complete hit-and-run with this if I don't want to be found."

"And you WANT to be found," lectured Hawkmoth. "I didn't empower you for the fun of it; I did it so you could take Ladybug's and Chat Noir's Miraculouses. It's not very likely that they will come to you in your bedroom, Psiphon... and I really don't think that Tigresse will, either."

"Fine. What's your first bright idea about how to keep my neck attached, then?" Psiphon asked, acknowledging his argument.

"It is simplicity itself," Hawkmoth grinned. "Think with me here. When Tigresse first confronted you, she was a typical teenage heroine, correct? Cracking jokes, leaping about, even saying 'I don't want to hurt you' at one point, as I recall. Then you pummeled her with a force wall..."

"...and she changed her mind on that last part," agreed Psiphon.

"LITERALLY changed her mind! It was as if a different personality kicked in once she was hurt. So my suggestion is this, Psiphon... _don't hurt her!_ It may be just that simple. You can keep her at arm's length with force walls and barriers, perhaps try to sap her will with one of your energy probes, or remove her from the field of battle with some kind of telekinetic propulsion... but do so in a way that won't jar her into attending anger management classes. She is, after all, a side issue to your task at hand; you don't have to defeat _her_ physically, only Chat Noir and Ladybug."

"That... actually makes sense, Hawkmoth!" Psiphon replied, brightening a bit. "If I can keep her as an annoying jumping bean instead of a killer, I might be able to handle her. And if she does seem like she's going to turn, I have ways of distracting her and making my escape."

"Along with that, if you CAN restrain her physically... her mind might contain a large amount of valuable information, which your psychic probes could extract," continued Hawkmoth. "As might her OTHER mind. I was fascinated by what you captured from that one schoolgirl in your first outing, as she seemed linked to a... mystery, very much pertinent to my interests. A direct link to a Miraculous user might be a treasure trove of intelligence regarding its nature, its user... and its hidden benefactor."

"What's your other idea?" asked Psiphon. "You said you had more than one."

"I will hold that card back for now, as I don't think you will like it much," the archvillain stated. "Let's try the defensive method first. Once you've charged up appropriately, call for me again, as I have another suggestion for you once you're ready."

Hawkmoth's energy signature blipped out, and Psiphon was once more alone with her own thoughts. She lowered the cotton-covered drawbridge to Fort Fluffington, crawled out into the open, and made a beeline for the bathroom while she still had the nerve.

* * *

Psiphon might have been more comfortable with her situation if she'd known that, at that very moment, the girl behind Tigresse's mask was feeling anything _but_ ferocious.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Marinette shrieked with utter joy into her pillows, then flipped over on her back in a state of glassy-eyed ecstasy.

"He kissed me. HE KISSED ME! Adrien Agreste KISSED ME!" she repeated to herself. She rolled over and faced the pictures of Adrien on the wall, next to her bed. "YOU KISSED ME!" she informed the pictures, which smiled back at her but did not otherwise respond meaningfully.

Feliss looked on with a combination of pride and amusement. "I don't mean to pry, child... but if one kiss on your cheek sends you flying this high, what will you do when he takes you in his arms, passionately kisses you on the lips and makes you his own?"

A moment later, Marinette reopened her eyes, seeing Feliss circling over her with considerable concern. "Are you all right, child? I think you passed out."

"Some things, you just shouldn't joke about, Feliss," mumbled Marinette, groggily.

"I wasn't - stay focused, Marinette! Eyes on me! - joking just now," the Kwami said. "You act as if you don't expect that to ever happen."

"Maybe if I find a magic lamp with a genie in it," she replied, still a bit dazed.

"She says this to the magical creature in front of her, who came out of a shiny golden object," drawled Feliss. "Do I have to draw you a diagram?"

Marinette blinked twice, three times, and said nothing.

"You are making great strides towards your boy, Marinette," Feliss began, gently. "And he is striding towards YOU! Largely because you dared to show him a new part of yourself - a confident, affectionate part that told him 'I really like you' with a wordless kiss, and didn't back away. He has always cared for your gentle, sweet, caring side; that's what drew him to you in the first place. Never, ever lose THAT side of yourself, Marinette! But when you combine that with confidence, when you show that you know what you want and that it's _him_ , you fascinate him - and you just saw how he responded to _that."_

"Yeah..." she whispered, then broke into a huge grin. "Feliss - thank you _so much_ for everything you've done for me, I couldn't have done any of this without you - but I need to share this with someone human right now or I'm going to pop like a soap bubble. Do you mind if I...?"

"By all means, go ahead," grinned Feliss. "You know where I'll be. Sitting over on your desk thinking _I told you so_ at you, over and over." _Now I just need to get you as enthusiastic about his other half,_ she thought to herself. _Then we can have some REAL fun._..

* * *

Alya Cesaire was lounging in her room with Nino when her cell phone rang, with a familiar ringtone. She leaned over and picked it up, answered it, and said, "Hello, Marin-"

"HE KISSED ME!"

Alya held the phone at arm's length for a moment, her left ear ringing, while Nino looked on with astonishment. "WHO kissed Marinette?" he asked.

"How did you hear that? You were ten feet away," asked Alya.

"They could hear that in Spain! She didn't need the phone," he laughed.

"Marinette, are you telling me what I think you're-" Alya attempted.

"Adrien kissed me on the cheek! Slow and soft and gentle and perfect," a dreamy voice answered back.

"Hang on just a second, girl! This meeting is about to come to order." She navigated back to her home screen and sent a quick text message to Alix:

 **[Alya] Adrien kissed Marinette!**

 _That's all that should take,_ she grinned, returning to the phone conversation. "Ten... nine... eight..." she started counting.

* * *

Marinette was puzzled for a moment. "What are you counting down to, Alya?" she asked, and then her phone started exploding with incoming messages.

 **[Mylène]** **ALL RIGHT!**

 **[Rose] Oh my gosh! I'm so happy for you!**

 **[Alix] About time!**

 **[Mylène] How did it happen?**

 **[Alix] Did you kiss him back?**

 **[Rose] Are you a couple now?**

 **[Juleka] WHOA! That's so great, Marinette!**

 **[Nino] Seriously? That's so cool!**

 **[Rose] Did he give you his ring, or anything like that?**

 **[Alix] Any tongue?**

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Marinette panted, barely keeping up with the incoming barrage. "How did you DO that, Alya?"

"Girl, you know very well that nothing on this planet moves faster than Girl Talk," Alya giggled. "It's beyond anything trackable by science."

"But one was from Nino!" Marinette protested.

"He's with me right now, so he heard your squeal," explained Alya. "He's an honorary girl for tonight."

Marinette heard a faint "Wait, WHAT?" from the background behind Alya, which made her laugh out loud.

"Okay, okay! Get the group chat going and I'll spill. It's not QUITE as exciting as they may be hoping, but..."

She hung up her phone, then got the expected group chat invitation a moment later. She clicked Join and faced a handful of eager faces... including Nino's, who wasn't entirely sure how he'd gotten added to this, but seemed happy for her nonetheless.

* * *

"Hey, hey, one at a time!" Marinette called out, responding to the wall of questions coming at her. "To start with, before anyone gets TOO excited... it was a kiss on the _cheek_."

She heard a couple of "Awwwww!"s in response, plus Rose piping up with "IT STILL COUNTS!"

"It sure does," grinned Marinette. "Let me start at the beginning..."

First, she described the visit from the day before, where Adrien had checked on her and walked her home, and she'd given him a kiss on the cheek to say goodbye.

"Stop the presses!" marveled Juleka. "Marinette, you kissed Adrien FIRST?"

"I don't know how I found the nerve, but I did it," she blushed. "And I guess now I know for sure that he liked it."

"You had any doubt?" asked Mylène.

"Trust me, he liked it," Nino added, grinning. "I didn't talk to him for very long yesterday... but I heard all about it."

"I... may just have to pick your brain later, Nino!" Marinette smiled. "I mean, we're letting you in on the secrets of Girl Talk, we'll have to learn about Bro Code in return, right?"

"I'll tell Adrien that I was held captive, I couldn't help it," he laughed.

Next, Marinette described that afternoon's visit, which they were all curious about after watching Chloè's attempted interception.

"I gave him the box with the pastry my dad made, with the little heart on it... and I don't know that he's even opened it yet, because his eyes were stuck on me! Then he told me that he had something for me, something I'd given him yesterday and he wanted to make sure he gave it back to me..."

"Ohhhhh!" Rose saw immediately where this was going.

"...and he moved in close, and I felt, on my cheek... I can't even describe it! One little touch, SO soft and gentle... but I felt it everywhere, all through me," Marinette sighed, her eyes closing.

"So... no tongue?" Alix asked, with an evil grin, and got hooted down by her friends.

"THEN what?" asked Juleka. "Did you kiss him back?"

"No... I should've... but my brain was way past the concept of thinking then. Plus, his car was waiting... so he asked me if I was okay, I said 'never better...' and we kinda waved at each other and he headed home," said Marinette. "And I CAN'T STOP TINGLING!"

"Marinette, I am SO proud of you! I know how hard it's been for you to even talk to Adrien without your tongue tying itself in knots... you've come so far, and he is SO CLOSE NOW!" Alya beamed. "And you know what I'm going to ask now..."

"...What am I going to do tomorrow?" finished Marinette. "I have absolutely no idea. I kissed him, then he kissed me, so, um, I guess it's my turn."

"This is going to sound like the craziest idea ever, Marinette," Mylène interjected. "But follow me on this; it's important, and this affects you. You... _don't have to take turns!_ You can actually try kissing at the same time."

Laughter filled the chat room. Marinette put on her best innocent face and responded, "But how can we kiss each other's cheeks at the same time?" to even louder laughter.

"Marinette, I know for a fact that you have cable TV. You've SEEN that that's not how it works," Alya grinned.

* * *

"Nino! You're here, tell us... what has ADRIEN been saying?" asked Rose, and Nino felt the collective eyes of the nation turn to him.

"Um..." stalled Nino.

"Keep in mind that anything you don't say can be held against you in the court of Alya," his girlfriend proclaimed, "and will be pried out of you later."

"Oh, I know," he replied. "And I don't think I have, like, any huge secrets to tell, right? I mean, everyone other than Adrien knew how much Marinette likes Adrien."

Marinette made a face at that. Alix grinned, "Honey, there are undiscovered tribes in the heart of the Peruvian jungle who know that. Every time you're near him, your face lights up like he's made out of chocolate and strawberries."

"You don't know for sure that he isn't," muttered Marinette, grudgingly.

"You might get to taste-test that soon," Mylène grinned, causing a fresh round of giggles.

"And I don't want to speak for him too much," continued Nino, "'cause I'm not, like, in his head, and I haven't talked to him THAT much lately. But I know he told me that when he saw you get hit by Psiphon, Marinette, he had a real rush of feelings come over him - feeling really protective of you. Like he wanted to rush in and drive her away himself."

"That would've been messy to watch," Juleka mused. "Though, full points for feeling noble."

"Then when he checked on you yesterday and walked you home, and you kissed him right before he left... he was SO not expecting that! He couldn't stop talking about it that night, when I called him... he said it wasn't just the kiss, but when he turned, the look on your face just made him melt."

Nino watched Marinette's face brighten like a newborn star. "Exact words - 'Nino, I've never been kissed before by someone who really meant it. I think Marinette did! She didn't look nervous at all that time; she was sure.'"

Rose looked like she was trying to figure out how to physically crawl through the phone to get to the story faster. "AND THEN WHAT?" she burst out.

"This morning, he told me he was up half the night trying to figure out how to respond to that," Nino resumed. "Y'know, tossing and turning, 'Was I dreaming that? Does she really like me that way? Was she just being sweet and friendly? Does she want me to kiss HER? Would that mess up our friendship?' Overthinking the heck out of it."

"We don't know anyone who does that, do we, Marinette?" grinned Alya.

"La, la, la..." she whistled, a bit embarrassed.

"I asked him what he was going to do, and he said he wasn't sure yet," Nino finished. "He wanted to walk you home again and see what felt right. I guess that felt right."

"Like you wouldn't _believe,"_ blurted Marinette, to more laughter.

"So I'll try and talk to him tonight... unless you want to do that first, Marinette," he added. "But I think he's super curious about what you're thinking."

"Me, too," she smiled. "Everybody, at school tomorrow, don't jump on him right away..."

Alix grinned again. "That's your job?"

Marinette burst out in embarrassed giggles. "Maybe? I don't know! But if it goes like I'm dreaming it will... I think you'll all find out fast."

Abruptly, Juleka said, "Uh-oh... Akuma alert just came on the radio."

"Hey, I, uh, think my Mom just called me... I'll keep you all informed, okay?" improvised Marinette, ending the call and flipping on her TV. "I guess Psiphon got over her case of the nerves, huh, Feliss?"

"Perhaps. Let us go and show her what fear truly means," Feliss smiled, slowly.

"You've... never won Miss Congeniality among the Kwamis, have you?" asked Marinette, giving her a slightly wary look before transforming.

* * *

Over at the Agreste mansion, Plagg was in high spirits, having watched his young charge at work. "Way to go, Romeo!" he chuckled at Adrien. "I'd bet a case of Camembert that that was Marinette's first real kiss, just like yours was."

"Probably," smiled Adrien. "I think we both made a complete _What the heck was that?_ face when we received them."

"I think she knew what you were doing; she just couldn't believe it was happening," said Plagg. "Yours looked more like she'd hit you with a taser."

Adrien paused for a moment. "Do you think she -" he began.

"YES, she liked it! You saw her face!" Plagg interrupted his thought. "I was kind of hoping that she'd keep standing upright."

"Wow," mumbled Adrien, a bit overwhelmed. "I'm just amazed at how much all this changed, so fast..."

"But it didn't," Plagg said, simply. At Adrien's look of confusion, he continued, "Only two things changed. She got up the nerve to finally show you in a way that you had to notice... and you noticed."

The confused look intensified. "If Marinette does have real feelings for me... these aren't _new_ feelings for her?" Adrien asked.

Plagg just laughed. "I'm going to hit you," he said. The silence in return was deafening. "You don't know that? You don't believe me? Ask her," Plagg added. "TWO cases of Camembert say I'm right. But when you ask her, ask quickly, because your mouth's going to be busy right after that."

"How am I supposed to even react to that? I..." Adrien trailed off.

The TV in his room switched over quickly to the latest Akuma alert, yet another Psiphon sighting, this one at a local institution of higher learning.

"For now, just react to that. Keep your head in the game if you want to get Ladybug back."

 _Ladybug!_ THAT jolted Adrien back to reality. It had only been a couple of days since Ladybug's accident, but he felt a little ashamed that his bluebell-eyed muse had slipped out of his mind lately. A sly, smiling, adorable tiger and the giggly, endearing girl behind her mask had seemingly taken up residence right behind his eyes.

 _Ladybug has to be devastated by all of this - especially if she's seeing "Chat's New Partner" on the_ _LadyBlog._ _SHE knows I could never replace her, but it still has to sting! Wherever she is now, I know that I can't be with her, because I can't know who Ladybug really is... so I can't be there to comfort her. I just have to hope that her special someone is._

"Ahem. Game, head, in the?" snapped Plagg.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," he muttered, reaching for Master Fu's Akuma container. "Claws out!"

* * *

Chaos reigned on the campus of Sorbonne University; a pink-clad menace was bent on charging up as much as possible before her nemesis arrived.

"YOU! And YOU! And YOU!" Psiphon called out, energy tendrils lashing out in all directions. "Please, don't run! I hate sucking up tired creativity."

"Gently, Psiphon," Hawkmoth counseled her. "Save your wrath for the fight. Or, if Tigresse shows up, your lack of wrath. How are you feeling?"

"Nervous as can be, but my mental battery's about full, I think," she responded.

"Excellent. Now, I wanted to discuss something with you before this fight... you are an artist, yes?" asked Hawkmoth, smoothly.

"A very talented artist," Psiphon snapped. "At least when I can think of what I want to draw."

"And yet, all I've seen from you so far are tendrils of energy and blocks of force. Surely your creations are more complicated than lines and boxes?"

"Well..." she hesitated. "When I hit the fashion district, I didn't _need_ anything complicated... and when I fought Tigresse, I didn't have time to think."

Hawkmoth grinned. "At the moment, you have time, and I want you to focus. Make a solid force block for me, right in front of you. It doesn't have to be big."

She concentrated, and a pink box popped into existence, floating in the air in front of her.

"Now, focus on that box. Imagine it stretching out, becoming long, thin, like a javelin. Pull it out with your mind. Visualize it and let your powers do the rest."

Psiphon grunted, momentarily... then opened her eyes and was amazed to see a pink spear floating in front of her. "WHOA! That worked!" she gasped.

"Good, good! Now... mold it again. Make it pliable. Bend the end of it around that lamppost over there, wrap it around it once or twice, and bring the other end of it to yourself, like a rope."

"Okay..." She concentrated again, and the pink object bent itself to her will, leaving her holding one end with the other tethered to the pole.

"Yank it... hard!"

Psiphon pulled, mentally... and the lamppost broke off at the base and went flying. "How...?" she asked.

"As I suspected, Psiphon... you have untapped power that you haven't even dreamed of yet! Using your mind... and all the creative energies you've just drained from hapless students... you can bend reality itself to your will, one pink projection at a time."

"I'm, like... PINK LANTERN!" Psiphon grinned.

Hawkmoth rolled his eyes, then smiled. "Sure. I'll allow it," he said, gently, "if that concept helps you focus your ideas. You still need to guard your creations from Tigresse's claws... but is that enough of an advantage for you to reenter the fight?"

"Yeah," she answered, "I think I've got this."

"Good," said the archvillain, "since your playmates are headed this way..."

* * *

Tigresse landed across a grassy courtyard from Psiphon, and gave her a little wave. "Hi, there!" she called to her. "Remember me? We played together yesterday."

Behind her, Chat Noir nestled Master Fu's container into a corner of a nearby roof. _This should keep it safe, and then if it looks like we can free her Akuma I can leap up here and grab it._ He watched the confrontation in progress and prepared to leap down and assist.

"As a matter of fact, I do," taunted Psiphon. "I can't say that I want to play with you again. Trying to cut my head off is very rude, you know."

"Oh, come on, do I look like I would do a thing like that?" smiled Tigresse. "I mean, I might nibble on you a bit. I always taste-test before I carve anything big off."

"You know what? I do have something that I wanted to show you," said the villain, creating a large pink block in front of her. "First, we start with this block of force..."

"It does look familiar... and very breakable," Tigresse parried, extending her right paw's claws and leaping forward.

"Nothing up my sleeve... presto!" intoned Psiphon... and the block turned into a three-pronged pincer, which shot forwards and grabbed Tigresse from the back, lifting her off the ground several feet!

"HEY! Watch the outfit! I just had this tailored," she yelled, squirming and trying to get at it. She extended her left paw's claws as well and swiped wildly, but couldn't quite reach. _Looks like Psiphon learned some new tricks! This isn't good,_ she thought. _We need to take her out before she becomes something we can't handle._

Psiphon laughed at Tigresse's predicament... until a hurled baton hit her in the back of the head, sending her sprawling and dissolving the construct as her concentration broke.

"Something you should know about cats..." Chat Noir called, retrieving his baton rapidly. "They like to play together. Especially bonded pairs like us."

Rubbing her head, Psiphon smiled. "Now, YOU, I want to play with. You have something Hawkmoth needs." She cast a wary eye behind her, trying to find where Tigresse had rolled to. "But two-on-one isn't my kind of fight..."

Chat jumped as she shot a thin wall of force at his feet, like a roll of carpet unfolding. He landed on it, in a fighting stance, only for it to roll back up quickly and entangle him.

"So let's keep you penned in while I find your friend, hmmm? And let's just see what you _think_ about that!" An energy tendril hit Chat's exposed head; he cried out, disoriented, while Psiphon looked momentarily overwhelmed by the incoming waves and thoughts and energies. "GAAAAH!" she cried out. "That's almost as potent as what I got from that girl the other day! What kind of gear are YOU packing?"

A dark blur took her to the ground, rapidly, and Psiphon found herself on her back with razor-sharp claws at her neck. "I would turn that off NOW, if I were you," growled Tigresse. "Unless you want a new career as a Swiss cheese impersonator."

"Or..." Psiphon concentrated hard, and another pincer grabbed Tigresse and lifted her several feet up, just out of reach again, frustrating her. "I've figured you out, little girl. As long as I don't HIT you, you don't get mad enough to turn into a clawed murder machine."

Chat looked on in dismay, unable to wrestle free from his entanglement. "Tigresse! Be careful!" he called.

To both their surprise, Tigresse started to laugh loudly from her aerial position. "There is something you should know, Psiphon..." Her face relaxed, her eyes closed... and she called out, "I don't NEED to be angry to do that."

Her eyes opened wide again... and blue had been replaced by solid gold.

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHH!" Psiphon screamed, seeing the transformation in Tigresse's form once again. As Tigresse stretched around and easily shattered the pincer holding her up, the look of terror on Psiphon's face was almost enough to make Chat feel sorry for her. Almost.

"NOW... you have a choice, little villain," snarled Tigresse, on all fours with all claws extended and gleaming. "Give us the object where your Akuma hides NOW, and you MIGHT walk out of here. Or at least crawl, since it's hard to walk without feet."

The energy surrounding Chat Noir dissipated rapidly, and he stood up. "I'd do as she says, Psiphon. I can't control her," he warned, hoping that he was actually bluffing.

"I... LEAVE ME ALONE!" yelled Psiphon, creating a column of force beneath her that launched her straight up into the air, nearly faster than Chat could follow. _GOTTA GET OUT OF HER REACH! Once I'm up here, maybe I can make a... pink hang glider, or something..._

"I'm not sure what she thinks she's going to do up there..." said Chat, momentarily amused.

"It's called 'falling to her doom,'" growled Tigresse... who leaped forward and slashed repeatedly at the column, shattering it in several places. Chat heard a scream of pain from high above, and saw a pink figure begin to plummet towards the ground!

"I've got you," called Chat... only to have Tigresse push him out of the way, roughly.

"She's MINE!" snarled the feral feline, claws still extended.

 _She's not going to... would she?_

Quite alarmed, he surmised that Tigresse wasn't kidding. Using his baton, he telescoped up about fifteen feet, snatching Psiphon out of the air before Tigresse's claws could reach her and rolling several feet away.

"Do NOT get in my way again, little cat!" Tigresse yelled, advancing slowly on them. "I won't warn you again."

"TIGRESSE! Stop this!" He kept himself between Psiphon, cringing in a fetal position on the ground, and his possessed teammate. "We DO NOT KILL OR MAIM. She is an Akuma _victim!_ She's helpless!"

He thought quickly. _What did Ladybug do those times when I was possessed and out of control?_

One incident came immediately to mind - the Dark Cupid battle, and what Ladybug did then. _I hope this isn't the dumbest idea I've ever had..._

As Tigresse approached him, and was about to shove him violently out of the way... Chat dropped his baton, moved forward rapidly, and kissed Tigresse full on the lips.

* * *

"HUH?" Psiphon boggled... and Tigresse didn't seem prepared for it, either. She stiffened with shock, then registered it as not being an attack, but remained panicky.

 _This HAS to work, or she's going to carve me to ribbons,_ Chat thought. _But I WON'T let Marinette become a killer. I can't._

Looking closely, Chat saw Tigresse's eyes go from all gold to blue-and-gold... then the gold retracted to a mere pinpoint within Tigresse's pupils.

 _I'm betting my life that I mean enough to you that you won't hurt me._

The stiff limbs of Tigresse gradually relaxed. The angry snarls diminished into noises no more coherent, but at least less animalistic.

 _Come on, Marinette! Wake up! Come back to me!_

Her claws retracted partway, then all the way, and her arms folded around him.

 _Thank goodness... I - wait, WHAT?_

It was Chat's turn to react with some stiffness and surprise... as, suddenly, Tigresse was kissing him back. Hard.

* * *

Psiphon had absolutely no idea what was going on, but had nothing left in the tank that would let her act coherently. Abruptly, Hawkmoth's energy signature flared on her face.

"Psiphon?" he whispered. "Remember the Plan B that you weren't going to like? This is it. Do as I say and I promise that you will be thankful in the end. BREAK YOUR PAINTBRUSH."

"But that's the source of my powers!" she whimpered.

"TRUST ME. I have a plan. Break it now, while they're preoccupied!" he demanded.

Dutifully, unable to come up with anything else, she pulled it out of her back pocket and snapped it neatly in half. The purple Akuma emerged from it, fluttering away, and the pink garb of the villain disappeared rapidly.

"Now what?" she whispered... but without the Akumatization, her connection to Hawkmoth was lost.

* * *

The flare-up of passion from Tigresse was brief... but there was no doubt that it was happening. Both participants seemed confused, but Chat kept going largely because it seemed to be working to restore Marinette.

"Chat..." he heard her whisper, between kisses. "What are you... what am _I_... oh, Chat..."

Suddenly, she pushed him away, with a firm "...STOP!", gathering her senses.

"...You're back?" asked Chat, quietly, stepping back.

"...Yeah. How did we just... Were we just KISSING?!" Tigresse asked, holding her head.

"I was trying to break Feliss's hold on you. Dark Cupid was the first thing that came to mind," he explained. "The time Ladybug kissed me to shock me out of a possessed state - though you wouldn't have known about that..."

"No, I saw that on that TV show," Tigresse smiled. "You had no idea that that happened, when it happened. I only had a little just now."

"I REALLY didn't mean to push that on you," apologized Chat, sheepishly. "But you were about to carve up the villain - THE VILLAIN!" He spun around, on guard, and was shocked to see a young woman in nondescript clothing cowering on the ground instead of a pink-garbed supervillain.

"Um... nice kitties?" Abby mumbled, fearfully. "Don't hurt me, please? Maybe one of you could tell me what just happened?"

"You were possessed by an Akuma," Chat started... "THE AKUMA! Where did it go? Ma'am, do you remember anything? How long have you been yourself?"

"Maybe a minute-and-a-half, two minutes?" replied Abby. "I'm not sure what happened - I remember Hawkmoth's voice in my loft, and then I opened my eyes again and you two were, um, making out in front of me."

"Oh, geez... that Akuma could have gone anywhere! This is not good," he worried. "Tigresse, can you take care of this young lady for a minute? I have to try and track it down before it escapes!"

"Sure," Tigresse said, kneeling down beside the frightened girl as Chat leaped away, frantically. "Good luck! Hi there... I'm called La Tigresse. I promise I'll be gentle," she purred, trying to be reassuring to the young woman.

"Thank you," she replied. "I'm Abby. Are you... new? I don't think I've ever heard of you before."

"Yeah, you could say that. I'm... helping Chat out in an emergency. I don't know if this will be a long-term thing or not," explained Tigresse.

"I really like your costume! It's SO cute!" smiled Abby.

"Thanks! I like it, too... it came with the powers. I did like yours, when you were... you know..."

The small talk ceased as Chat returned, with an unhappy look on his face. "No luck," he grumbled. "And I think you know what that means..."

"Yeah," sighed Tigresse. "An army of Psiphons in Paris waiting to be activated, instead of one. This is so not good." She turned to Abby. "Now, what are we going to do with you?" she asked, softly. "We know this chaos isn't your fault - it's Hawkmoth's. I want to make sure that you know that... We're not going to punish you or lock you up or anything; you're a victim, not a supervillain."

Chat listened to her with admiration. _THAT's the gentle Marinette I know. She actually reminds me a LOT of Ladybug, the way her first impulse is always to think of others..._

"...But we can't just let you go without knowing more about you," she added, "because Hawkmoth will come after you again, because the Akuma wasn't purified."

"Ladybug does that, right?" asked Abby. "I know that much."

"She does, but right now she's... recovering. We're hoping that she'll return soon." Tigresse looked at Chat, questioningly. "Do you think the Akuma being freed like this will help her?"

"I... really don't know," Chat pondered. "We'll have to go talk to you-know-who."

"Here," Abby said, writing frantically on a piece of paper. "This is my name, my address, my landline, my cell... I'll try my hardest to stay positive, but please keep an eye on me. I don't want to hurt anyone, and if he's coming for me again, I'll need your help."

"Thank you for understanding," soothed Tigresse, "and I promise we'll do our best to keep you safe. This isn't too far from here - Chat, can you get her home?"

Chat looked at the address and replied, "Sure! Ma'am, just put your arm around me. I promise I won't bite."

 _Heh!_ Tigresse thought. _I know things are serious when there's a pretty girl in front of Chat and he's too concerned to flirt with her._ As Chat and Abby disappeared into the distance, she gathered her will and focused her thoughts inward.

* * *

 _Feliss? Can you hear me?_ thought Tigresse. _We have to talk about this, now!_

 _I hear you, child,_ a faint voice replied in her mind.

 _I did not give you control so that you could kill that villain,_ accused Tigresse. _I needed your help to escape a dangerous situation, not to end it with lethal force._

 _Did I say that I was going to kill her? Frighten her to within an inch of her life, perhaps. But though I do not agree with your interpretation of justice, I will play by your rules,_ Feliss thought back.

 _What little of me was still awake didn't feel any restraint from you_ , thought Tigresse. _And Chat was so convinced of that, he jumped up and saved Psiphon from you! I trust his instincts more than I do your rationalizations._

 _Believe what you like,_ snapped Feliss. _I make no apologies._

 _Oh, you're going to be. Mostly about your kissing Chat Noir..._ Tigresse added, quite angrily. _What were you THINKING?_

 _He kissed YOU first,_ retorted Feliss.

 _And as I woke up, you were kissing him back, passionately!_ snarled Tigresse. _That is MY DECISION to make._ _MY BODY._ _MY_ _RELATIONSHIP with him._ _NOT YOURS!_

 _He loves you, Marinette,_ said Feliss, plainly. _He risked his life - or at least thought that he did - to bring you back, and did it with true love's kiss. In or out of costume, he loves you, and it's about time that you admit that to yourself, and that you feel much the same!_

 _'In or out of...'_ Tigresse's mind flailed, rapidly. _YOU know who he is behind the mask?_

 _Of course I do,_ Feliss grinned, _and so should you. It amazes me that you do not. I could pick his scent out of a stadium full of people with ease._

 _This tiger's nose is just cosmetic,_ Tigresse argued. _I don't have your animal senses._

 _Would you like them?_ asked Feliss. _I've held them back for now, not sure if you could handle them. I could give you all the scent-tracking I have... and all the knowledge that comes with it._

 _I... don't know. Wait!_ she begged off. _I have to think about that._

 _And, once again, we are at an impasse,_ Feliss sniffed. _Your duty and your potential hide behind your fear. I offer you the world - and the boy you love - and you'd rather hide yourself away and 'think about it.'_

 _I don't _want_ the world,_ Tigresse argued back. _I want the boy... and with your help, I've almost got him... but I want to do it the right way._

 _The right way is the one that lands him in your arms, child. No matter what way that is. Do you not understand that?_

 _I'm understanding part of why you spent several centuries in a box,_ Tigresse growled. _You're a blessing AND a curse. We still need each other... but we have to find a much better way to coexist._

Chat's return put her internal battle on hold. _This isn't over,_ Tigresse said.

 _Not by a long shot,_ the Kwami smiled back.

* * *

"Come on," Chat gestured, "We have to talk." He leaped up onto the roof where he'd stashed Master Fu's canister, and she followed him.

Chat checked the canister, and was relieved to see that it was still in one piece. "Okay... we are in big trouble now," he muttered. "The Akuma is loose, and it's going to multiply... so a lot of people are going to be frozen in place by Akumas, and when Hawkmoth gets to Abby again we'll have dozens of Psiphons running around. That is terribly dangerous."

"No kidding," Tigresse said. "I remember watching what Stoneheart was like. The Akuma is freed, as is Abby for now, but it's going to multiply. Will that help or hurt Ladybug?"

"I have no idea," Chat admitted. "We'll have to get back to Master Fu and see what he says. Now, Marinette, we have a bigger issue..." Tigresse saw the obvious concern in his eyes. "I understand why you gave Feliss control just now - and I agree with you doing it - but Feliss didn't seem to have ANY control over herself."

"I don't know, Chat," sighed Tigresse, her shoulders slumping. "I argued it out with her while you were with Abby. As always, she's silver-tongued with her explanations and swears she wasn't REALLY going to maim or kill her, but I'm just not sure if I trust her any more. I don't know if I dare give her full control ever again."

"As for the kiss... I'm really sorry; I know that crossed a line, Marinette. But I had to shake your mind back to awareness, and I couldn't be subtle about it." He looked away, visibly quite uneasy.

"No, I needed that when you did it," she assured him. "You did the right thing."

"Marinette... I _really_ need to know something," asked Chat, his eyes still averted. "Who was kissing me back?"

He was horrified when Tigresse started to cry. "Ch-hat... I don't know any more!" she sniffed. "I'm starting to doubt who I really am in this costume - if I am being pushed or influenced! I know it was me who made us stop... because something big's changed in my life."

"What is that?" asked Chat, curiously.

"Chat... I've told you all about my Mystery Guy, the boy I've had a huge crush on all year, so many times. You're probably tired of hearing about him by now," smiled Tigresse. "Yesterday... I finally got up the nerve to kiss him on the cheek. Just a little one, but I did it. And today... he kissed me back for the very first time."

Chat Noir felt like he'd just been struck by lightning... three or four times in a row. _It's really true? Marinette loves me?_

"I don't if it really means anything, or if we're about to go farther than that, or if I'm just kidding myself, but-"

The words stopped abruptly as Chat Noir ran to her and wrapped her up in his arms. "Look into my eyes," he whispered. "Please, I need to see."

Tigresse's eyes went wide, and Chat saw black-on-bluebell, saw no visible traces of gold...

"Change back," Chat whispered. "I need to be absolutely sure."

"Fade out," said Tigresse, and Tigresse became Marinette in his arms...

...and Chat kissed her, slow and searching, every bit of himself poured into it.

"Ch-hat?" Marinette mumbled, as sensation and emotion overwhelmed her... and then she sank into it, returning his kiss, far past any remaining capabilities of rational thinking.

Their eyes were both closed tightly as they tumbled to the rooftop together, lost in each other's embrace.

* * *

Next time:

* So, is this... Adrinette? Marichat? Tigrien? Tigrinoir? FELICHAT? Does ANYONE know for sure?

* Chat Noir ponders the line that he not only just crossed, but dove over... and why... and what that means for a lot of things involving them.

* Can Master Fu puzzle out Tikki's status, Feliss's mindset, or the emotional cyclones already in progress?

* Is Paris ready for an army of Psiphons? Is Abby? Is _Hawkmoth_?

* What did Psiphon pick up when she briefly tapped into Chat Noir's mind?

* Is school tomorrow going to be awkward, or what?

* Unless...

A few further thoughts in my Profile.


	6. What The Hand, Dare Seize The Fire?

Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright, Chapter 6: What The Hand, Dare Seize The Fire?

* * *

In the early evening, on the rooftop of a university library in the Latin Quarter of Paris, the air was still and quiet.

* * *

A young woman stared up at the slowly emerging stars, her eyes following an airplane soaring slowly overhead. Her head rested lightly on the chest of a handsome blonde boy, her hands caressing the arm he'd curled around her, his other hand stroking her hair. She felt him breathe, moving softly with him as his chest rose and fell, listening to his heartbeat amidst the sounds of the students passing beneath them.

 _Well, Marinette Dupain-Cheng..._ she thought, _now you know what making out with a boy for an hour or two is really like._

 _On the whole... I think I'd recommend it,_ she giggled silently in her head.

There was a certain unreality to how Marinette's week had progressed, and it had her a bit dizzy. (That, and all the kissing.) Ladybug, the cool, confident and mostly intentionally chaste heroine of Paris, was now La Tigresse, a sleek and seductive femme fatale with dangerous claws and an even more dangerous Kwami. Whatever identity issues she had as Ladybug paled beside the way she was spinning out of control now, no longer sure if she was in charge of her own actions in OR out of costume.

Marinette, the romantic fool forever chasing her Adrien, too perfect for her to ever approach, too wonderful for her to ever touch... now she'd _kissed_ him, and _he'd_ kissed _her_ , and they were _right there_ on the edge of becoming a couple, or at least it certainly seemed that way...

...and now this. Just. HAPPENED. The most innocent girl in Paris just spent an evening kissing and squeezing and rolling around with her friend and partner. She was tingling from head to toe for the most unlikely reason ever.

And it felt... so strangely _right._

* * *

A young man stared up at those same stars, an entire palette of emotions sliding through him, over and over. His fingers ran idly through the hair of the gorgeous young woman lying against his chest, he felt her fingers strumming against his costumed arm, and he slowly returned to something resembling a normal breathing rate.

 _This... this... whoa. I have to THINK!_

He stole a glance at the vision of loveliness curled up with him. She looked... surprisingly at ease, considering how much they'd both been taken by surprise by what just happened. _Maybe it's just all too much for us to process right away._

 _Either I just did the best thing I ever could have done... or I just screwed up, big time. Maybe both._

He'd heard Marinette confess that her longtime crush was on HIM... on Adrien... and, in hindsight, he knew what the smart play _would_ have been. To wait just one day, to approach Marinette again as Adrien, to sweep her off her feet as the boy he now knew she loved. To give her all of his heart as his real self.

 _And maybe I still can? I don't know. I have to play this out very delicately. I can't hurt her._

But he couldn't have waited _one more second_ once he heard her say that... once he'd realized Marinette's true feelings for him.

 _I owe Plagg half the Camembert in the city,_ he thought, grinning. _He was right all along._

But there was one... not so little... problem _._

 _If I'm about to romance Marinette as Adrien... why did I just do what I did as Chat Noir?_

 _...And why did she respond so strongly?_

* * *

Marinette rolled over slightly, so she could look up at Chat's big green eyes. "Hi," she breathed, smiling at him.

His smile, in return, was genuine and heartfelt. "Hello, beautiful," replied Chat.

"There's something I never thought I'd hear you say to me," she giggled.

"Why not? It's always been true."

Marinette snuggled in a little closer, loving his answer. Her face turned thoughtful.

"Chat?" she asked. "What did... we just do?"

She reacted quickly when she saw a look of terror flash over him. "No, no, I don't mean WHAT! Bad choice of words," she assured him. "I know a wonderful kitty took hold of me, and kissed me like I've never been kissed before, and he made me melt all over, and I think I want to do some more of that very soon."

Marinette reached out and touched his cheek, gently, and added, "And I know that this time, it was all our idea."

"No Feliss, huh?" Chat asked her. "You're sure?"

"I mean, for all I know, she might've been WATCHING us... probably cheering us on," she blushed. "But that was me reacting."

"Thank goodness," panted Chat. "You scared the heck out of me just now!"

"I'm sorry," Marinette laughed. "I get how that question must've sounded."

"Are you... totally okay with what we did?" asked Chat, a very serious look in his eyes. "I mean, it was just kissing and hugging, but... we've never done that before, and I didn't exactly ask permission this time."

Marinette considered that for a moment. "You know... I'm surprised at myself, but I really think that I am. And that sounds weird, since I had my first kiss from a boy EVER just a few hours ago." She ran her hand over Chat's upper chest. "I must be a fast learner, hmmm?"

"I'm not Mr. Experienced, either, and you know that. You were MY first kiss, Marinette," Chat grinned. "And my second through 137th."

"You kept count?" Marinette exclaimed, laughing.

"No, but do you think it was less than 137?" he asked.

"Not a chance," she giggled. "And it's not like you're a BAD choice for my first real kiss... you are _such_ a handsome kitty, and you know it! And you were so sweet and gentle with me... But it was something more than that." Marinette took a deep breath. "I wasn't... expecting you to kiss me like that, obviously. But you know how much I do care about you, Chat... and with everything else going on in my life right now, with Feliss and Tigresse and feral rages and losing control of myself..."

She smiled at him, meeting his gaze. "It felt really good to know that this time, it WAS all me responding. No golden eyes, no Kwamis whispering in my ear... someone really special felt very strongly about me, and the real me got to show him that I do, too. This wasn't necking with some random guy just to see what it was like... this was YOU."

Marinette pulled his hand up to her face, and kissed the back of it, lightly. "Am I going to sit up tonight wondering what this all means? I know I will; that's something I'm really good at. But right now, I needed you so much... and you were there for me."

Chat Noir was speechless.

"Now, what I really meant when I asked WHAT did we do... was more like why."

* * *

Marinette looked up at Chat, still looking relaxed but with more alertness in her voice. "I know we were both feeling really emotional back there, and we HAD just kissed... or, at least you and Feliss did," she teased.

"Your eyes were back to blue when you started kissing back," Chat noted. "That wasn't ALL my doing. And that wasn't all Feliss."

"Oh, I know. Once you started, I couldn't stop," Marinette smiled. "But now I'm thinking about how it started... I told you about my crush... that I'd kissed him, and he'd kissed me... and it was like, _right then_ , you had to kiss me, REALLY kiss me like you meant it!" She blushed a little more and added, "By the way, thank you for meaning it," making Chat melt.

Her face turned soft and vulnerable. "Chat, I have to ask you, and please be honest with me... what was that about? I'm not complaining, but I really need to know. Why did that set you off like that?"

Chat went silent. _Oh, boy,_ he thought. _There aren't a lot of answers I can give. I could be crass and say "I wanted to find out what it felt like before you went off the market," or something stupid like that to try to throw her off the scent... but that'd be a lie AND she'd see right through me AND she'd hate me for that. Those aren't eyes that I can look into and lie._

 _I don't think I have any way out of this... and since it's Marinette, I think I'm finally okay with that._

Chat Noir rose to his feet, and helped Marinette up beside him. He kissed her again, lightly, then said, "I can't tell you that, Marinette. Not in words. It's something that I have to show you."

Chat closed his eyes. "Plagg... Claws -"

"WAIT!"

* * *

Marinette's voice stopped Chat in mid-sentence. He opened his eyes and saw her head tilted away from him, her left hand over her eyes.

"Chat... I know enough about Miraculouses to know that I'm REALLY not supposed to see that," she said, quietly.

"It's okay, Marinette," Chat assured her. "I know your dual identity, and I'll trust you to know mine. I'd trust you with anything, and you deserve to know why what you said meant so much to me. It'll all make sense in a flash."

 _You don't know my REAL dual identity, Chat,_ thought Marinette, still looking away. _OR why it's so important that you don't!_

"You're the one person in Paris I would trust with this, Marinette," he soothed, moving closer to her.

"I'm the one person who can't ever know," she whimpered, trying not to cry.

"Now I'm the one who's wondering about this," puzzled Chat. "I don't want to force this on you - it's a huge secret, I get that! But why are you so sure that you can't?"

"I just... there's someone I have to talk to first," said Marinette. _I promised Master Fu that I'd always honor our secrets, both mine and Chat's. I have to hear from him first that I can do this._

 _Talk to someone? Does she mean... Adrien?_ "If you open your eyes for me, you might find out you don't need to do that," Chat smiled.

"I do. I really do," she insisted.

"Okay," Chat said, softly. "But there's still something else that _I_ really need to do. Keep your eyes closed for me, okay, Marinette?"

"Okay," nodded Marinette.

"Claws in," said Chat.

* * *

Marinette heard a gentle whooshing sound and knew instantly what Chat had done. "CHAT?! What are you..."

"Shhh," whispered a soft voice. "Keep your eyes closed, if you need to. I understand."

Marinette felt a warm body against hers, two arms wrapping around her. The voice remained at a whisper, so as not to give away its owner. "But, Marinette... I really need to kiss you right now... as me. The real me."

"You do?" murmured Marinette, with some wonder in her voice.

"Yeah, I do," he whispered. "I want you to know what it feels like, without a mask in the way... how the real me feels about you."

Marinette kept her eyes closed tightly... but she leaned forward.

* * *

 _Two makeout sessions in one day!_ marveled Marinette. _What WOULD my mother say?_

Keeping her eyes closed required every bit of willpower she'd ever had... particularly since this time felt _so_ different. Not that there was anything _wrong_ with the first time around, kissing Chat Noir... that was giggly, and awkward, and a little emotional, and teasing, and playful, and sweet all at once, and Marinette had loved every second of it even as she wondered how the heck it was actually happening.

But with... detransformed Chat, whomever he really was behind the mask... _WHOA!_

Part of it, she had to admit, was the tension and sensuality of keeping her eyes closed, not daring to open them. _I've seen blindfolds in spicy movies, and kind of wondered why... and now I know,_ she giggled. _Wow, do I know!_ _Alya was right - cable TV IS educational!_

Part of it was the electricity of not knowing who exactly was snuggling her. THAT was something she might need a psychologist to help her work out.

But, far more than that... she could just _feel_ the waves of emotion pouring off of him and it made her want to scream out loud, in agonized delight. The softness of his kisses, the gentleness of his touch... feeling him trying _so hard_ not to startle her or to go past kissing, farther than she'd want him to... knowing he was trusting her completely with his biggest secret, if she'd only open her eyes...

Marinette wasn't sure just what emotions were awakening in her soul... but she was pretty sure they were heading far beyond basic cable.

* * *

The young couple clung together, catching their breath once again.

"Last chance tonight," Adrien whispered.

"I know," Marinette grinned. "And I still shouldn't. Not yet."

"Here, I'll give you a different option, if it'll help," he said, quietly. "Say your crush's name out loud... and if it's me, I'll tell you, and you can open your eyes. If it's not... I'll transform back and keep my secret."

 _I just CAN'T..._ Marinette thought. _But how can I NOT?_

Adrien watched her closely as she struggled with what to say next.

"Ad... _a dream_ come true, if you're really him... but I can't. I can't tonight." She fell forward, clutching him tighter. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Adrien whispered. "Plagg, claws out!"

Marinette felt the energy flash in her arms, then felt the familiar leathery costume against her hands, and opened her eyes to see Chat before her again.

"I wish you had... but I trust your judgment, Marinette," he whispered. "Only when you're ready to know."

"Thank you, Chat," Marinette said, kissing him softly, her smile wide. "This was the most amazing night of my life."

"So far, anyway," Chat grinned. "And, can I tell you something? And I _really_ mean this, Marinette. If your crush reaches out to you tomorrow, or the next day, or the next day... go to him. Don't be afraid, don't hesitate because of me. It won't hurt my feelings, I want you to be happy _so much_... and you know what? He just might be who you were kissing just now."

"I don't know that I could be that lucky," Marinette cooed. "But then again, can a boy like him and a boy as sweet as you BOTH exist?"

"Do you want to transform now, or should I take you home?" Chat asked.

"Take me home," Marinette grinned, hopping into his arms bridal-style. "That way I get to hold you again tonight."

* * *

After one last goodnight kiss on Marinette's balcony, Chat headed home, his head spinning.

 _THAT was... well, she said it first! The most amazing night I've ever had,_ he thought. _And if I had any doubts about how hard I'm falling for Marinette... they're LONG gone._

 _SO. Now what the heck do I do?_ he wondered. _As long as she doesn't know that I'm Chat Noir, that complicates everything tremendously... and she won't let me just tell her! Can I just waltz into school tomorrow and flirt with Marinette like none of this happened? Like I hadn't been kissing her with everything I had for the last hour, even though she didn't know it was me? Like she and Chat hadn't been necking before that?_

Chat considered Marinette's motivations and how she might react to tonight. _It's not like she was just hopping from boy to boy, of course. BOTH times it was Chat Noir... just once with the costume and once without... and both times I felt real emotion coming from her. If I walked in her making out with, say, Kim or Max out of the blue... then I might wonder a little. But I think this had been building up for a very long time, for both of us._

 _And we're not boyfriend-girlfriend YET in either of my identities, so she shouldn't feel the slightest bit like kissing Chat was somehow cheating on Adrien. She's completely free to snuggle whoever she likes. And if either of us was acting at all inappropriately, jumping on the other without asking, it was me!_

He smiled to himself. _But I know Marinette, and how sensitive she is, and I just KNOW she's going to worry herself over this. If it does come up before I can reveal myself, I'll have to make triple sure to reassure her that both Adrien and Chat are fine with it. I'll text her tonight to check on her, too._

Chat replayed the end of the fight in his head, and a small frown emerged. _One thing I really should do, that won't be quite as pleasant, is to check in with Master Fu. I'm not sure what happened with that Akuma, but we screwed up BAD with that. Not we; I. Marinette is brand new to this; I have enough experience to know better. I'll have to see him tomorrow and find out what we should do._

 _First things first, though,_ he grinned. _I have to get my entire body to stop quivering!_

* * *

Marinette climbed down into her room, collapsed onto her bed and closed her eyes, sporting an enormous grin. "Don't you say a _word_ ," she said in the direction of her purse, having a strong idea of what was coming.

Feliss crept out of her purse, slowly, her jaw hanging down. "I don't think Tikki is injured, child... she's in hiding," she teased, shaking her head. "I am enormously proud of you tonight AND I have absolutely no idea what to do about you."

"I know," said Marinette, her head sagging a bit. "You must think I'm terrible, trading kisses with Adrien and then letting Chat lead me into all of that tonight..."

"Marinette, _really_? That's the part I'm enormously proud of," cackled Feliss. "He couldn't hold back any longer from showing you his true feelings, and you were not afraid... but you were also not thoughtless or careless when you responded. Trust me, Marinette, I know more than a little about animal lust... in fact, I'm not sure, but I might have invented it back in the day! This was not that. This was an expression of caring, one of love - especially the second time, after he detransformed."

Marinette covered her face with her hands. "I cannot believe that Chat did that, Feliss - or that I let him!"

"Let him?" Feliss cocked her head sideways. "My dear child, did you simply lay back and let your boy have his way, or were you leaning in, kissing him, loving him, returning his touch and his caring? You felt his tenderness, his emotion in everything he did. I could tell that much without even being close to you two. THAT meant more to you than the kissing did! And you returned it, in full. You have absolutely nothing to be ashamed about, Marinette Dupain-Cheng, and I will not rest until you accept that tonight."

It sank in for Marinette, at least a little. "But what about Adrien?" she whispered.

Feliss rolled her eyes HARD, wanting to scream the truth out, but decided to play along for now. "Has Adrien committed to you, and you to him, in heartfelt bonds of mutual fidelity and monogamy? Or have you kissed each other a total of once each?" she asked.

"The second one," said Marinette. "But..."

"Do you feel like Adrien will only accept you if you are pure as new-fallen snow, untouched by any other male, chaste and fearful? Or do you think he understands that you are a young woman, seeking happiness as best you can, and he is not the only boy in the world who wishes affection and companionship for you?"

Marinette struggled to come up with a rebuttal.

"I told you, Marinette, I am an avatar of Passion. Passion does not mean promiscuity, or thoughtless pleasure-seeking, even if many use it as an excuse for that. It means accepting your own needs, understanding what and who it is that satisfies them, and being proud and unafraid to pursue them," continued Feliss. "It's not self-centered by nature, it's not 'I'll just do whatever pleases me'; the best relationships are between those where passion drives them to devotion to their partner, desiring to act in all ways to make THEIR life better. And you are so committed to doing what's best for other people, Marinette, that it amazes me that no one has sought to win _your_ heart before I came along."

Feliss flew in close. "Your cat loves you. Your boy loves you. Soon, you will learn how to reconcile those... or realize that you don't need to. But both are reasons to rejoice, not to worry."

Then Feliss closed her eyes and held her front paws to her head, as if to keep it from falling off. "And you were SO CLOSE TO THE TRUTH, my child! Opening just one eye would have changed your life. Finishing one spoken word would have changed your life! Your concerns that I am influencing you, or controlling you, or shoving you headlong into someone's arms... I think I proved tonight that I do show restraint, because I DIDN'T PRY YOUR EYES OPEN while he was kissing you as himself, or shout his true name in your ear!"

Feliss sank down in despair. "It was all RIGHT THERE! He offered true love to you on a silver platter... and you said 'not tonight!' WHAT am I going to DO with you, Marinette?"

* * *

Marinette steeled herself and faced Feliss, very sure of what she was about to say. "You don't think that I _wanted to_ open my eyes and know for sure? That was AGONIZING for me, Feliss! But, like it or not, _I am Ladybug_ first and foremost. That's the biggest responsibility in my life, and if I learn Chat Noir's identity, that could jeopardize both of us, and jeopardize everyone else who depends on us to protect them! That's the most important promise that I made to Master Fu, and I will not break it lightly."

Feliss closed her eyes, thinking hard. "Then, child... do not wait. Go to him tonight," she answered, grudgingly.

Marinette looked confused. "To... Adrien? Or to Chat Noir?"

"Neither," said the Kwami. "To Master Fu! You need his guidance far more than you need mine tonight. You will never let love step ahead of duty, and that's why you were chosen to be Ladybug. You're perfect for it... but you need to be able to be Marinette, too. He should still be awake; it's not that late in the evening and I know his habits," Feliss added. "And he will need to know of the runaway Akuma, as well."

"I... can text him, and make sure he's up, and would let me come over," said Marinette, hesitantly. "I have his number but I've never done this before; I only go to him in dire emergencies."

"This is a crisis, several times over," insisted Feliss. "One for Paris and one for your sweet and devoted heart. He has a vested interest in preserving both, I assure you."

She typed out a quick message:

 **[Marinette] I am so sorry to interrupt you... but are you awake and visitable?**

A minute passed, then a reply arrived:

 **[Fu Wang] I am. You require my assistance?**

Marinette debated how to phrase her next message.

 **[Marinette]** **I need your advice on several things, desperately. And you are the only one I can turn to for this.**

She waited, anxiously...

 **[Fu Wang] I will put the kettle on. Come as soon as you are able, I will be waiting.**

Marinette gathered her wits and her purse. "All right, Feliss... I hope he won't be angry about all of this. Feliss, BURN BRIGHT!"

* * *

A short while later, Master Fu was savoring the aroma of some jasmine tea when a pleasant young woman slipped through his front door. "I am so sorry, Master... I wouldn't be here if this wasn't very important," she apologized.

"I know that, and I am fine with this. I was awake, just doing some reading," he replied. "Come and unburden yourself."

Marinette came to the table and sat down across from him. Feliss popped out of her purse and bowed slightly to the Guardian. "This was my idea to come tonight, Master. Your wisdom is needed more than mine."

"I see!" the old man answered, marveling at the rare humility from Feliss. "It must be a dilemma of extreme importance, then. Thank you, Feliss. Wayzz is in the back room - you may go play with him, if you like."

"With pleasure!" brightened the feline Kwami, flying rapidly towards Master Fu's bedroom. Marinette watched her go, then muffled a laugh when she heard a tiny scream emerge from there.

"Sometimes Wayzz needs his own shaking-up-a-bit," grinned Master Fu. "Now. Tell me what is on your mind, Marinette?"

"First things first... we have an Akuma crisis," she admitted. She described for him the circumstances of the battle, and how they found a young woman in the villain's place unexpectedly. "We were careful not to break any items of hers ourselves, Master! I don't understand how this happened."

"Hmmm," he pondered. "She may actually have done it herself, perhaps under orders! It's a clever tactic and one that I had hoped Hawkmoth wouldn't think of. It complicates matters, but only in part; the lead Akuma remains the most important one, and if you can capture that one in particular, all is not lost. And speaking of dealing with Akumas, I do have some good news for you tonight..."

The old man called out to the next room, in a language Marinette didn't recognize... and her heart leaped as she saw a tiny red figure come fluttering through the doorway!

"TIKKI!" exclaimed Marinette, reaching out and pulling her in for a hug. "You're BACK! I have missed you SO MUCH!"

"I missed you, too," beamed the Kwami in a weak voice. "I am still nowhere near my normal self, but when the Akuma was freed, it diverted enough energy that I could afford to break my cocoon. Master Fu is doing everything he can, and I'm hoping I can transform you again before long."

"Don't put yourself at risk, Tikki!" insisted Marinette. "Only when you are strong enough for sure. We can't lose you."

"Marinette..." Master Fu interjected, gently, "I sense that the Akuma is actually the least of your worries tonight. What else is wrong?"

Marinette looked downwards, feeling embarrassed. "An... identity crisis, like I've never had before. Master... Chat Noir and I are becoming very close. Perhaps _far too_ close."

"How close do you mean?" he asked, probingly.

"Embracing close. Passionately kissing close," Marinette sighed. "Trying-to-remember-that-we're-only-fourteen close."

Tikki gasped out loud. "What has gotten into you, Marinette?" she boggled, looking at Master Fu in disbelief.

He looked at Tikki, shrugged, and said one word in explanation... "Feliss."

* * *

Tikki gasped far louder. "You gave FELISS to MARINETTE? I... She... Do you have ANY IDEA of what that could-" she sputtered.

"In point of fact, Tikki, _I_ did not," Master Fu explained. "With you in protective hibernation, I allowed Chat Noir to select a Miraculous and a recipient, as a temporary partner. I asked him to choose the most trustworthy person he knew, and you see her before you now."

"YOU LET HIM PICK THE TIGER MIRACULOUS?" raged Tikki, unpersuaded.

"It was not my decision to make," he sniffed. "I warned him that the twelve Zodiac Miraculouses were more... unstable. He made the choice."

Marinette looked on, wide-eyed. "Tikki... so, you know Feliss well?" she asked, cautiously.

"We've met," Tikki snapped, clearly not meaning "we're buddies from long back" by it.

"Perhaps you should go rescue Wayzz from Feliss's... company, then. Before he becomes soup," smiled the old man, which sent Tikki flying to the back room as fast as she could manage.

"Are they..." ventured Marinette.

"Not enemies," he assured her. "They both serve the same greater good. But in personality, they are oil and water. I am willing to wager that Feliss's advice for your romantic life was... a bit different than Tikki's, and that is what has brought you here?"

"That's an understatement," she sighed, beginning her story...

* * *

Master Fu listened patiently to Marinette's explanation of her and Chat's entanglements, being tactful with her regarding the friskier elements, but insisting to hear all sides of them. He registered a bit of surprise near the end, as she described Chat's offers of his identity, her refusal to accept them, and their subsequent... negotiations on that front.

"You will have to pardon me slightly, Marinette. It has been a long while since I have had affairs of the heart, personally. The last time I was in a romantic relationship was a long time ago," he smiled.

"Like... how many years ago?" asked Marinette.

"I think it was the year... let me think... 1893," he said.

Marinette's eyes were the size of dinner plates.

'You don't get to this age by wasting a lot of energy," he chuckled. "But that's not a lifestyle for everybody - certainly not a young and beautiful girl like yourself. So he REALLY detransformed before you... and you had the strength of will to keep your eyes shut tight? During all of THAT?"

"I did," Marinette admitted. "I don't know how... but I did."

"I know I couldn't have," Master Fu laughed. "I mean, there are promises to be kept... and then there are TEMPTATIONS."

"The thing is," continued Marinette, choosing to ignore that as much as possible, "is that I don't want to play with Chat Noir's heart, ever! When he was romantic towards Ladybug and I turned him down because of our secret identities... he understood, but it broke my heart to do it. Now he's romantic towards _me,_ and Ladybug's secret is STILL in the way, but I can't tell him that! He knows I'm Tigresse, but he still has no idea that I'm also Ladybug."

Master Fu nodded, silently.

"And there's this other boy in my school, named Adrien... the one that my heart has been set on _completely_ for months now... and he and I have been getting MUCH closer lately. Mostly thanks to Feliss's guidance, I have to admit! I feel like we are _so close_ to a real romantic breakthrough... just like Chat and I might've just had tonight. And I am not a play-the-field kind of girl; where my heart goes, it goes in full." Marinette's eyes were watering up. "I could never hurt either of them on purpose, but I never imagined I might ever be in a spot where I might have to decide, to have to choose one and hurt the other."

The room was silent, other than the faint sounds of Kwamis shouting at each other from Master Fu's bedroom and Wayzz's high-pitched wails of anguish.

Master Fu's face remained placid, but his mind was buzzing. _I knew this day had to arrive,_ he thought, _as clearly destined for each other these two children are. Had Adrien told me he'd intended Feliss for Marinette, I would have counseled him against it just to avoid a star-crossed situation like this... but, ah, fate will always work as it pleases. Their secrets are mine to keep, but only theirs to reveal. And if Adrien trusts Marinette so sincerely..._

"Marinette," he replied, as gently as he could, "when I gave you your Miraculous, I did so with very little knowledge of you. I recognized your kind and giving nature, and that was enough to trust you with Tikki... But trust without knowledge must be limited. Since then, you have grown into the finest Ladybug I have ever known. I have seen you perform astounding feats, both physical and emotional. You have passed every test thrown at you, either by succeeding or by learning from your failures and mistakes. And you have clearly earned Chat Noir's trust completely... both as Ladybug and as Marinette."

He rose to his feet. "You have my blessing. If you wish to know his identity... and he wishes to tell you... let it be so. And if you choose to share your own with him... that is also your decision now."

Marinette was slack-jawed. "Are you SURE, Master?" she asked. "I know that isn't a small thing. I'm not even sure that I was asking for it."

"My trust in your judgment and my faith in your heart are not small things, either. You were also not asking for those tonight... but they are yours," he smiled. "Am I saying 'Run out and shout it at each other tonight?' I am not. But if the moment arrives where it feels right to the two of you... yours are secrets that you may carry and protect together. Clearing the air between you may assist you in your romantic dilemma... though I still cannot say directly how."

"I don't know what to say," Marinette stammered. "Thank you..."

"You _will_ know what to say, when you are meant to say it," Master Fu soothed. "As for the Akuma... what are your plans for now?"

"After this, I'm heading over as Tigresse to check on the girl who'd been Akumatized; she gave me her address and asked for my help, and I won't leave her hanging," said Marinette. "I'll contact Chat with whatever information I can gather, and try to keep my hormones under control until we get this job done."

"A wise plan," he agreed. He called to the back room in Cantonese, and Feliss came flying to him, a little worse for wear.

"Whew! Who let HER out of her cocoon?" asked Feliss, gesturing back towards Tikki. "I see the avatar of Repressing Everything hasn't changed a bit."

"Feliss, you are still on duty with Marinette while Tikki continues to regenerate her energies," Master Fu told her. "You are still willing to assist?"

"Of course!" Feliss answered. "If she'll have me."

"She'll have you," Marinette said, glaring at her slightly, "...though we still have some more talking to do. C'mon, you. And thank you so much, Master."

Marinette headed for the front door with Feliss, leaving Master Fu alone with his thoughts. He slumped down into his chair, readying himself for Tikki yelling in one ear and Wayzz yelling in the other. _The things I do to maintain universal harmony_ , he thought...

* * *

Across town, a dark figure gazed through his observation window, his smile sharp enough to cut glass.

"My plan is coming together," Hawkmoth soliloquized, ranting to no one in particular in the classic manner of villains. "My little psychic plaything didn't turn out quite like I'd hoped... but perhaps with dozens of underlings under her control, she'll regain her confidence and seize the Miraculouses for me. Breaking the object intentionally was a stroke of genius on my part, if I say so myself! A full-scale psychic assault across Paris might also bring Ladybug out of hiding."

"Now, to set things in motion, and wait for my anxious artist's positivity to slip once more..."

He concentrated on the faraway Akuma, perched atop a tall radio tower, and it began to multiply rapidly...

* * *

Abby Christophe stared at the protective walls of cotton and fluff she'd assembled on her bed. "Some big, bad, fearsome supervillain," she said to herself.

She looked over the canvases and sketchpads in her room, marveling at the designs and images she assumed that her alter ego had drawn. Some of them seemed... surprisingly resonant in her mind, even after being freed from the Akuma's possession. _How?_ she wondered. _It's like there's something... left over in my head from when I was Psiphon. That's not supposed to happen, is it?_

Abby looked in the mirror, a bit sadly. _I suppose I'll find out soon enough. He's going to find me, the Akuma will come back, and I'm going to turn back into the world's least dangerous psychic menace... and then some teenagers in spandex and leather are going to wipe the floor with me again._

She took another look at Fort Fluffington. "Exactly what was it that I thought that was going to do to protect me?" she wondered aloud.

Suddenly, she heard a loud thump outside one of her windows, and saw a shadow move across it.

"Oh, what the heck," she gasped, diving into her plush stronghold with a small shriek.

* * *

"I am SO SORRY!" Tigresse repeated, doing her best not to laugh out loud at Abby's reaction. "I did NOT mean to startle you like that... like I said earlier, I'm new at this! I misjudged my leap and landed a little harder than I intended."

"It's okay," Abby laughed. "I needed something to break the tension around here, anyway."

"Do you live here alone?" asked Tigresse. "I mean, I don't want to pry, but I just want to know who all I'll need to protect."

"It's just me, the starving artist," she replied. "I do commission work to pay the bills, when I can get it. I had a roommate for a while, but she bugged out to go live with her boyfriend in Cannes about four months ago, and it's just been me ever since."

"What do you draw, if I may ask?" Tigresse smiled. "I'm... kind of an aspiring artist, myself. I do mostly clothing design stuff, but I do go out with my sketchpad into Paris sometimes when I'm feeling inspired..."

"Really? That's pretty cool," said Abby. "I'm kind of all over the map, artistically - sometimes landscapes, sometimes portraits, some abstract stuff. I was hitting a mental wall the other day, and I guess that's when Hawkmoth grabbed me, when I was feeling low. Come on, I'll show you my studio room!"

The girls entered Abby's studio, where Tigresse was impressed by some of the pictures hanging up... then gasped with recognition at one of the canvases facing her. "Abby... where did the idea come from for THAT one?" she asked, pointing at one that looked much like a bee heroine design she'd seen. _That was in the Guardians' book, the one that I recovered briefly from Adrien's dad... but how would ABBY have ever seen that?_ she thought.

"I'll be honest... I have no idea. Apparently, I went out as Psiphon and drained thoughts from some people, then came back and painted all kinds of stuff that came from their minds. This whole group here must've come from that."

Tigresse looked on with increasing unease as she saw a temple similar to one Master Fu had described to her... a rough Chat Noir portrait... a Ladybug, but clearly a far more ancient version... _that one is MY PARENTS' BAKERY!_

"You, uh, don't remember anything about WHO you were draining, do you?" Tigresse mumbled, trying to play it cool.

"Not really. I'm told it was a lot of people, and I'm really sorry about that," apologized Abby.

"It's okay. I'm just fishing for clues," soothed Tigresse, but inside she was panicking. _This is REALLY bad! I have no idea if Hawkmoth saw any of this... or if he's drawing any connections between them and me!_

"It's funny, Tigresse," said Abby, suddenly. "I have a bunch of stuff in my head RIGHT NOW that looks like these... but I thought getting rid of the Akuma cleaned up the victim's memories."

"Huh! Maybe your powers being keyed to _absorbing_ thoughts and creativity has some kind of residual effect. Or maybe since it wasn't purified, it still has some hooks into you. I'm trying to think who the last person you drained... was..." _Chat Noir! Of course it was him._ "Can we try an experiment, Abby?" she asked.

"Sure! What do you need?" the artist asked.

"Can we get what you drained as Psiphon out of your head now... while Hawkmoth isn't looking through your eyes? Can you get a canvas or a sketchpad and draw it out for me?" Tigresse suggested.

Abby brightened immediately. "That's a great idea!" she said, and quickly ran around gathering supplies. Before long, she started drawing as quickly as she could, her eyes becoming slightly glazed over as she concentrated on the flow of purloined thoughts.

* * *

 _Maybe these will give us some clues as to what Psiphon targets, specifically... or what Hawkmoth wants her to drain,_ Tigresse thought. _If nothing else, like I said, better now than when Hawkmoth is watching, since he SAW that Chat Noir got drained!_

The images began to take shape. Tigresse was guessing that some were recent, some were from farther back, some were a jumble of reality and imagination. "Are you recognizing any of these, Tigresse?" asked Abby, drawing at a feverish pace.

"Some, yes!" she replied. "That one's Ladybug, obviously. That one looks like some kind of... fashion runway? That's weird. That courtyard's not too far from here. That one I don't know. A blonde woman... I'm not sure who she is, but she has pretty eyes. That one is..."

Tigresse trailed off, a little frightened. _That's my parents' bakery AGAIN! I guess that's no surprise - Chat's been there many times, or at least on my balcony on top of it._

"I'm getting this image pretty strongly..." Abby whispered, her pencils flying.

A figure took shape - _a young woman, modestly dressed. A teenager,_ Tigresse thought. _Pretty eyes, again. Dark hair, twin pigtails, and... um..._

"Mmmmmmaybe we should skip this one," Tigresse stammered.

"She's only part of it," mumbled Abby, continuing.

Another figure took shape next to her. _Another teenager. What the heck?_ wondered Tigresse. _Could that be Alya, maybe, or..._

The details filled in rapidly, and Tigresse stared in complete shock. The second figure was a blonde teenage boy, about the same age as the young woman... clearly leaning in to kiss her.

 _Is that... CHAT? Was he_ _was thinking about kissing me BEFORE Feliss took over? Why would..._

 _OH!_

Abby concentrated on filling the facial features for a moment... and then there was absolutely no doubt who it was meant to be.

Tigresse stared... her jaw dropped... and she fell backwards, landing on her rear on the carpeted floor.

"Are you ALL RIGHT?" Abby asked, rushing to her side. "What's wrong?"

 _What's wrong, she asks?_ thought Tigresse. _She just drew an image she plucked out of Chat Noir's imagination... of Adrien Agreste... about to kiss ME. On the_ _mouth. Which I know Chat's never seen, because it's never happened... I really, really think I'd remember that... and that got drained from Chat before HE kissed me._

 _How in the WORLD did THAT mental image come about...?_

"It's... uh... someone I know. That you drew there. I know, um, one of them. It might be a big clue," Tigresse babbled.

"Which one? The boy or the girl?" asked Abby.

"Yes," replied Tigresse, absently. "It's one of them. The boy or the girl. I, uh... wow. Are you going to be all right here tonight, Abby? By yourself, I mean?"

"I think so," the artist said. "I mean, if the Akuma comes for me, there's not much I can do to stop it, but I can't ask you to sleep here, either. You look young enough that I'm pretty sure you still live with your parents, right?"

"Yeah, I do... and I should get back before they worry. I'll stop by tomorrow to check on you, okay?" She gave Abby what she hoped was a reassuring hug. "I promise that one way or another, we will protect you, Abby."

"I keep hearing that as Psiphon, I was absolutely terrified of you, Tigresse. I don't know how that can be, because you are just the sweetest little thing I've ever met," Abby grinned. "You may be a temp, but I hope you stick around. Paris could use someone like you standing guard."

"You're gonna make me blush," cooed Tigresse. "There's a scary side of me that you haven't seen yet... but I will make sure that she remains all bark and no bite."

"I'll watch for you tomorrow. If you don't see me, just look in the pillow fort! I may sleep there tonight out of force of habit," giggled Abby. "Good luck with your clue!"

 _Uh-huh!_ thought Tigresse, as she leapt away for home. _The clue. It sounds so innocent. One little clue._

 _The clue that might've just solved the biggest mystery in my life..._

* * *

Next time:

* Akuma vs. memory foam, winner take all.

* "Who do I talk to about this first... Adrien, or Chat?"

* Hawkmoth begins building his army of deputy Psiphons.

* Master Fu has an idea... but it's perhaps not one of his all-time favorites.

* "That's... not my ONLY secret I've been keeping."

* The heavens may shake.

* Now school's going to be SUPREMELY awkward tomorrow, isn't it?

* Unless...


	7. In What Furnace Was Thy Brain?

Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright, Chapter 7: In What Furnace Was Thy Brain?

* * *

A feline silhouette darted across the rooftops of Paris, soaring through the air in mighty leaps, looking graceful and elegant...

...while inside, she tried desperately to maintain enough focus to avoid tripping over her own tail, smacking into the side of a building or going face-first into a utility pole. A couple of near-misses demonstrated that it wasn't an easy task.

 _Can I... POSSIBLY have_ _seen what I just saw?_

Tigresse was stunned to her core, having watched Abby draw Adrien about to kiss Marinette passionately, unmistakably the two of them unmasked... the image plucked straight from Chat Noir's unconscious mind. Not from _hers_ , which would at least make some sense given her desires and her vivid imagination... but from CHAT'S.

A part of her kicked herself for not having asked to take that drawing home with her... for, um, reasons.

 _I have to be logical about this,_ she thought. _Think, Marinette!_ _If Chat had imagined_ _CHAT kissing me... well, given what followed, that would at least be a lot more explainable. But I have NEVER named Adrien directly to Chat Noir, no matter how many times I've talked to him about my crush. He should NOT have any reason to pair Adrien and I together..._

 _...and there is only one rational explanation for that!_

 _I told Master Fu about Chat and about Adrien, and he said in so many words... "if you let Chat tell you who he is, that'll help resolve it." But he won't say why it'll help! That would leave me deciding between Adrien and Not-Chat, rather than Adrien and Chat, and that wouldn't help at all! Unless the two of them... aren't two of them._

 _Which is the only rational explanation for THAT!_

 _And that means... if it's true... that I just made out with Adrien Agreste for a couple of hours, half with his costume on, half without!_

Tigresse narrowly dodged a billboard in her path. Billboards, as she recalled, were not known for pouncing on people but that one nearly got her. She was MILDLY distracted.

 _Adrien... feels that intensely for ME? The REAL ME?_

That notion gave her so many shivers that she dropped down to ground level, for her own safety. _Can I possibly be that lucky? Can he -_

Oncoming lights made her panic and leap away, only now becoming aware that she'd inadvertently landed in the middle of a public street. A taxi driver yelled something unprintable in French at her, and she waved absently at him as she recovered on the sidewalk.

 _This is crazy! Can Adrien... _possibly_ be Chat for real? Can he have been side-by-side with me all this time, visiting me at my house, telling me his secrets, offering to unmask for me, confessing his... love for Ladybug to me?_

Her skull was about to burst. Tigresse moved as quickly as she could, heading for her balcony, where she transformed and dropped down into her room.

* * *

In his own room, Adrien was just as close to an emotional explosion, and Plagg was treading very lightly around him.

"Anything you need to talk about, Adrien?" Plagg ventured. "You don't have to, but I'm here."

"Adrien's not home right now; leave a message at the beep," he mumbled. "He's busy shaking like a leaf inside."

"You are? Hard to imagine," Plagg laughed. "It was only three hours of kissing, half of it with your mask off and her eyes closed... Your secret identity one eyeblink away... No stress at all."

"Was I wrong to unmask? It just felt.. right," Adrien ventured.

"I don't think it was wrong. Master Fu would get it, I think. You two are WAY past the point of worrying about trust."

"Do you know why she's so sure that I can't just show her? I don't want to force my identity on her, but it must be SOMETHING important..." Adrien looked troubled. "She's not in trouble, or anything? Her dad's not Hawkmoth?"

"Geez, I hope not," Plagg said. "Imagine Hawkmoth turning out to be one of your parents! But it's not that."

"So... you know what it is, Plagg?" asked Adrien, intently. "Since you know what it isn't."

"You... may want to talk with Master Fu. He's better at talking about human relationships than I am," evaded Plagg.

"I'll do that, tomorrow after school," he replied. "Though that won't help me sleep tonight."

* * *

Marinette laid on her bed, absolutely burning up inside, unmoving. Feliss came out and sat on Marinette's stomach, very lightly, not saying a word.

The girl looked at the Kwami, the Kwami looked at her, and she considered whether or not to ask what she knew she _had_ to ask.

The silence grew deafening.

Feliss's smile widened.

Marinette opened her mouth, very reluctantly, and asked, "Feliss... is Chat-"

"Yes, he is," Feliss grinned.

"AT LEAST LET ME FINISH THE SENTENCE!" groaned Marinette. "But you know what I saw... and what I thought about it on the way home. Every puzzle piece fits."

"A lot more than that fits together," purred Feliss, feeling quite satisfied with her handiwork. "You two were melting onto each other up there! And the second time, when your boy was as himself and you kept your eyes closed tightly... that had to be the most sensual experience of your life, hmmm?"

Marinette was silent, but her crimson face and her body language told Feliss everything she needed to know. "Do not be embarrassed, child! That was _exquisite_ to behold," she teased. "Some go a lifetime without feeling that kind of pure intimacy, of raw intensity... and you two are just getting started!"

"Be that as it may," Marinette hissed, agreeing but feeling completely mortified by admitting it... "it _does_ change everything in my life, just knowing this much now! And I still have decisions to make. He knows that I'm Tigresse, obviously... but do I tell him that I know that he's Chat Noir? Or that I'm also Ladybug?"

"The Ladybug part... there I cannot guide you. The Guardian spoke to you about that, yes?" asked Feliss.

"He did. He... I couldn't believe he said it... but he told me that when we decide it's right to do so, Chat and I can reveal ourselves to each other."

"Good!" Feliss declared. "I was hoping that he would, once he knew the whole story. I've known him for over a century, and while we've had our differences of opinion at times..."

"You? Being stubborn? Wanting things your own way? No!" gasped Marinette, with a teasing grin.

"Sassy little thing, all of a sudden, aren't you?" laughed Feliss. "Give a girl one night of sensual bliss and suddenly she's full of pepper! Yes, I can be a handful, as I'm sure you've noticed... usually because I'm right and someone won't admit it. Yes, Fu and I have gone a few rounds, but I have nothing but respect for him. He is quite reasonable and fair-minded, and that was clearly the right remedy."

"The Ladybug part... I'm putting that on hold for now, at least until I _am_ Ladybug again," pondered Marinette. "And we'll see how Chat... Adrien... it feels so STRANGE not to think of them separately! We'll see where we are at that point, together."

"Again, I may roll my eyes at that... but I won't tell you how to handle that. I'm sure Little Miss Red Prissy-Pants will give you an earful about THAT when she returns," Feliss replied. "But as for your catboy... you are in an enviable position, Marinette. You have ALL the advantages right now."

Marinette looked a little confused. "How do you mean?"

"I mean this! Close your eyes for me, Marinette," said Feliss, and continued once she had. "In your mind, remember what it felt like to be in Chat Noir's arms tonight, finally expressing your mutual feelings. Now... remember what it felt like being in ADRIEN's arms... kissing him, holding him, loving him..."

Feliss paused for that to sink in, and for Marinette to be able to speak again.

"Now tell me that you'll be able to think of ANYTHING ELSE for the next month or two," she cackled. "But, boy or cat, there is no denying it to yourself any more. He is yours for the asking, whichever way you want him, or both! And even Master Fu has told you, plain as day, that you may ask him EVEN WITH Ladybug figured into the equation."

A look of wonder came over Marinette's face. _She's... completely right!_

"So, at long last... you have clarity. You know what your needs truly are. You know who and what you want. And now all you have to do... is go out and get him."

A cacophony of voices filled Marinette's head, full of advice she'd received in the past. Some was from Feliss, some from her girlfriends, some from her mother, some even from Tikki, as much as that would probably shock Feliss to know. A recent suggestion from Alya came to the forefront:

" _I keep telling you, I'm sure one reason Adrien doesn't notice you like that is that he doesn't realize you've noticed HIM like that! Sometimes when you know who and what you want, you have to turn down the giggles and the blushes and just _pounce__."

"And while he knows your identity as Tigresse... he doesn't know that YOU know HIS yet! He's out in the open, unaware that he's in your sights. If only you had a huntress with centuries of experience by your side, guiding you in how to approach your prey, pick your perfect moment... then take him before he knows what hit him."

Marinette's face went from mild astonishment... slowly... to a sly smile, then to an undeniably evil grin that would make the Grinch take two steps back.

"NOW you're getting it," laughed Feliss, with an extremely satisfied grin. "And now the _real_ lessons begin."

* * *

Adrien laid on his stomach, his phone in his hand, wrestling with various sets of words. One of them would be the right way to respond to and check on Marinette tonight, but he had no idea which.

An incoming text message jolted him out of his thoughts, and he quickly turned the volume down so that no one would hear the ringtones.

 **[Marinette] Hello, handsome. You awake?**

 _Well! That I didn't expect. I really need to get Chat Noir his own burner phone!_ he thought.

 **[Adrien] Hi! I'm up. How are you tonight?**

 **[Marinette] Glowing! I just had the most magical day ever and I had to let you know.**

 _Magical, huh?_

 **[Adrien] Anything to do with me?** ;)

 **[Marinette] You could say that. I remember a kiss someone gave me this afternoon, for instance...**

 **[Marinette] It was ALMOST perfect.**

 **[Adrien] ...How did it fall short of being perfect?**

 **[Marinette] It could've been about three inches from where it landed.**

Adrien blinked at his phone, twice. _Whoa! I guess I got someone's attention as much as she got mine!_

 **[Adrien] It should've been on your forehead, instead? Or did you mean your neck?**

Marinette giggled at that, with Feliss looking over her shoulder. "Looks like your prey feels playful. Good," the Kwami smiled.

 **[Marinette] You're getting warmer...**

 **[Adrien] Tell me about it. All of a sudden, it's getting hot in here.**

 **[Marinette] If you need more practice, to improve your aim...**

 **[Adrien] It seems to me YOURS hit a cheek, too.**

 **[Marinette] That one was aimed there! I was still feeling a little shy that afternoon.**

 **[Adrien] That one? Are there others like it?**

 **[Marinette] Maybe... If someone sweet were to ask for them. Is that a request?**

Adrien had to admit that all of a sudden, it WAS getting hot where he was.

 **[Adrien] That MUST'VE been a magical day you had! You're in quite a frisky mood tonight.**

 **[Marinette] Some people just know how to make me purr... but you'd know all about that, right, Adrien? ;)**

 _Interesting... choice of words..._ Adrien's brain sputtered.

 **[Adrien] I never knew you were a cat person, Marinette.**

 **[Marinette] Oh, very much so! In fact, I've been much more of one lately.**

That gave Adrien a good laugh. _I could take that a couple of ways. Either that she's Tigresse, or that she kissed a certain cat for most of tonight..._

 **[Adrien] You're more into cats, or you're more of a cat yourself?**

 **[Marinette] Yes!**

 **[Adrien] Well, that clarifies that...**

 **[Marinette] Meet me after school tomorrow? We'll talk about it. Maybe I'll show you what I meant.**

 **[Adrien] About the cats, or the purring... or about the kisses?**

He waited for an answer to that... and kept waiting.

* * *

"Nicely done!" approved Feliss. "A fine lure, making him want more, with just enough hints to make him wonder how much you really know."

"Thank you," said Marinette. "Being devious is lots of fun once I have the courage to do it! I'm still debating about one thing, though... Should I spring on Chat that I know he's Adrien... Or on Adrien that I know he's Chat?"

"Yes!" said Feliss.

"Hardee har har," giggled Marinette.

"I would say, target Adrien first. You'll see him sooner, at school tomorrow. You've only knowingly kissed Adrien once, so blowing his mind as much as you did Chat's will be productive. And you did tell Adrien personally tonight that you love him..." the Kwami grinned.

"I did WHAT NOW?" sputtered Marinette.

"'The boy I've been crushing on all year... I kissed him yesterday, then he kissed me today...' You said that to the boy that took part in both kisses. Why do you think Chat couldn't keep his lips off you, once he heard that?"

Marinette clapped her hands over her mouth. "OH, CRAP!" she squealed... then visibly relaxed once the light went on over her head. "Wait a minute... Why am I worrying about that NOW? I _know_ he likes me back!"

"Exactly! The cat and the boy both want the girl. The boy knows she wants him... and so does the cat, after what you did tonight! The only secrets left are yours to manage."

"Yeah!" Marinette grinned. "This could be so much fun if I play it right..."

"Or..." added Feliss, with a sinister grin, "you could destroy his will _and_ his mind tonight! Just say 'Burn bright!' You know precisely where he lives, where his room is, even that he keeps a window open... Let him wake up to a tiger kitten curled up next to him, nuzzling him."

Marinette's eyes were wide... then she curled up in a little ball, laughing. "DO NOT GIVE ME THESE IDEAS, Feliss!" she managed. "Not only would I be embarrassed to death, but if I have THREE makeout sessions in one night, my head's going to turn blue and fall off."

"Note to self... work on Marinette's stamina," noted Feliss.

* * *

Morning brought with it many things. A feeling of anticipation and curiosity in one Adrien Agreste... a highly motivated and energized Marinette Dupain-Cheng selecting her school wardrobe... traffic jams, hurried pedestrians, cafes serving up crepes and coffee, all the things that Parisians were accustomed to doing and seeing each day.

Purple butterflies raining down and turning everyone they touched into frozen pink statues... THAT was something of a new one.

It had been a long time since the Stoneheart incident, when Akumas had last multiplied and attacked en masse... so Paris was caught slightly off guard by this one. Response teams did their best to relay reports to news agencies and law enforcement, pedestrians ran for cover, and word of the extent of the chaos was slow to spread...

* * *

Alya caught up with Marinette as she reached the bottom of the school's front steps, greeting her and walking in stride with her. "Hey, girl! Been thinking up a new plan of attack for today?" she asked Marinette.

"You could say that," Marinette replied with a big grin, surprisingly confidently. "I don't think I have a thing to worry about."

"Someone woke up on the right side of her bed this morning!" admired Alya. "Anything I should know about? Or that I can help you with?"

"We'll see! For now, I think I have him _right_ where I want him," she said.

Alya looked strangely at Marinette. "C'mere," she beckoned, and touched Marinette's forehead. "Okay... doesn't FEEL like you're feverish... no beard, so you're not Marinette's evil twin from a parallel universe..."

When the pair entered the classroom, most of their friends were already seated... including Adrien, who felt multiple female eyes snap to him and Marinette in close proximity. He could almost sense the anticipatory grins around him. _If they only knew about last night..._ he smirked, _but not even Marinette knows I was there! Yet..._

"Good morning, Marinette, Alya," Adrien said, trying not to be completely obvious.

"Good morning, Adrien. Sleep well?" Marinette asked, with a huge smile... and as she passed him, she let her fingers trail along the back of Adrien's hand and forearm, very lightly, as if she didn't even notice it was there. Adrien jumped visibly, not at all displeased, but startled like he'd seen a ghost.

A little "Oh!" muffled by Rose across the room was the only sound in response... though Myléne's jaw dropped, and Chloé opened her mouth to say something, then stopped herself.

"P-pretty well, thank you!" Adrien replied, trying to keep the shivers out of his voice. "And you?"

"Like a kitten," she answered, "though I did have quite the dream last night..."

"Did you, now?" asked Alya, stirring the pot. "About what?"

"I think Adrien can tell you that," purred Marinette, as she took her seat. "He was in it." She smiled and focused on Ms. Bustier, as if nothing was out of the ordinary; even her teacher muffled a laugh at the look on Adrien's face.

* * *

Adrien did his best to concentrate on his classwork after that... but it wasn't easy. A bluebell-eyed temptress was right behind him, he had a hundred thoughts in his mind as to what he should say to her after school, he still had Master Fu to talk to after that, and... was there a fly or something in the room? Something kept tickling at the back of his neck.

... _There it was again_! he thought. He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck... this tickle was more behind his left ear this time. _Was it a fly, or..._

... _or is Marinette blowing softly on the back of my neck?_

He peeked back, as subtly as he could. Marinette smiled back, but said nothing.

A few minutes later, he felt it again. He leaned down to feign getting something out of his messenger bag, and stole another glance at Marinette. Her smile was a little wider, but again, she said nothing, looking down quickly at her own notebook.

Now he was just waiting for the next one... which he was _sure_ was coming... and every minute that it didn't happen made him expect it a little more. Nino noticed that he was feeling a bit antsy, but decided not to ask why.

 _Was that it?_ _Or am I imagining it..._

Just as he was starting to relax... a quick puff of air hit his left ear, then his right in rapid succession. Adrien turned his head rapidly, and caught Marinette's lips going from a pursed 'o' back to a warm smile. _And was that a little hint of a wink?_

"Are you all right, Adrien?" Ms. Bustier asked, turning her attention from the textbook in her hands.

"Uh... huh?" Adrien said, blushing a bit at being caught. "Just... something in the air."

He heard the tiniest giggle in Marinette's throat... as did Alya, who shot her friend a questioning look that Marinette did her best not to see, lest her quiet giggle escape.

* * *

As the end of first period approached, and Adrien was busy working out just what he was going to say to Marinette in between classes... the Akuma alarm sounded. The public address system kicked on abruptly:

"Attention, please! Multiple Akuma Alert! There are reports of a dividing Akuma attacking people all over west Paris! Please proceed to your assigned safety zones."

Ms. Bustier collected her belongings rapidly. "All right, students... we haven't had a multiple alert in a long while, you all remember the drill?"

Chloé rolled her eyes. "Ivan, this is you again, right? Multiple Akumas was your trademark," she sneered.

"Cram it, Chloé," Ivan snarled angrily, and Myléne held herself back from finding out if Chloe's hair was detachable.

"CHILDREN!" their teacher snapped. "To the gymnasium, in an orderly fashion, now, please!"

The class grabbed their things, lined up and marched down the hall, dutifully. Marinette fell in next to Adrien at the end of the line, each giving the other a meaningful look. _I need to get away and transform,_ Adrien thought, _AND help get her away too! But how am I going to do that without giving away my own identity, or that I know hers? It's going to be hard enough to get ONE of us away without being noticed._

He didn't immediately notice when Marinette slipped a step behind him... but when she grabbed his collar and yanked him through a side door into a bathroom, THAT caught his attention.

In front of them, Juleka heard the noise and turned around to see what had happened. Marinette peeked through the door, saw Juleka watching her... and shot her a sly wink.

Juleka gasped... then smiled broadly, and mouthed "I'll cover for you!" at Marinette, just before Marinette disappeared into the dark room where Adrien had gone.

* * *

"What did you just DO?" hissed Adrien, trying to remain quiet.

"Traded a little bit of my reputation for a little bit of privacy," grinned Marinette. "Which I believe we are both more in need of right now."

"We... are... in a couple of ways... but what did you have in mind?" stammered Adrien. "I'm not... complaining at all, but this isn't exactly how I pictured this happening..."

"I know, right? I always pictured a first kiss somewhere more romantic... like on a university rooftop," Marinette giggled.

Adrien froze in place. _I know what she means... but she knows that _I_ know that?_

"Let me start with this," she smiled, moving closer to him. "I think I let something slip yesterday, when I was talking with a... very special friend of mine. I've told him for months about this boy I have had the BIGGEST CRUSH on, and something I said yesterday told him _exactly_ who that boy is. It shouldn't have... because how could that friend have known who it was that I'd kissed, and had kissed me? ...but it did. Did a little bird whisper that in your ear, too?"

"That depends. Was it a little catbird?" Suddenly, Adrien had the biggest grin on his face.

"It just might have been," beamed Marinette. "Which tells me something _really_ important, Adrien Agreste..."

"What's that?"

"...That maybe this _won't_ be our first kiss after all." Her eyes danced with excitement.

"Oh, I think it will be! Or it would be... if it happens," replied Adrien, smiling from ear to ear. "I mean, I don't want to assume anything. That'd be rude of me."

"And what makes you say that?" Marinette asked.

"Because it only really counts... if you know for sure who's kissing you. You know... if you open your eyes for just a second and take a peek. If you DON'T know... If you keep your eyes shut tight..." Adrien leaned in closer. "...even if he _really_ wanted you to know..."

"Yeah?" she breathed, smiling back.

"It may feel like the greatest thing you've ever felt in your life... and I know what I'm talking about here, Marinette... because it did." He edged even closer; now their lips were nearly touching. "But it could be so much more."

"I agree," whispered Marinette. "Because someone was brave enough to trust me with his biggest secret... and sweet enough to let me wait just a little longer to know it for sure... And that means that HE knows that my crush - that's not the ONLY secret I've been keeping." She grinned as she looked down at her purse.

"Wouldn't you agree, Feliss?" she asked.

"Yeah, Plagg, what do you think?" laughed Adrien.

A tiny purple head popped out of Marinette's purse, and a tiny black one out of Adrien's pocket. Together, they yelled, "JUST KISS ALREADY!"

* * *

A rush of energy filled Adrien's body. He closed his eyes, he leaned forward, waiting for their lips to touch...

...and a finger pushed his forehead back in a surprisingly familiar manner. "Hold it, you! All of you," laughed Marinette. "Adrien, I have been screaming in my head to just be brave and kiss you since the second day we knew each other! I am NOT going to have our first real kiss... okay, our first REAL open-eyed Adrien-and-Marinette kiss... happen in a big hurry in a high school bathroom."

"Is that so bad? I've heard worse," mused Plagg.

"AND we have an Akuma to catch, which means you need to go get that container, I need to check on Abby before Hawkmoth gets her, and we both need to transform to do all of that. And if I start kissing you right now, I won't stop before Tuesday and Paris will be overrun... so, shall we?"

Adrien gave her a look of pure longing...

...then shrugged his shoulders and said, "Yeah, I know... But we are NOT done today, Marinette!"

"Who said anything about us being done? Once we've caught the Akuma, you'd better have thought up somewhere AMAZINGLY romantic, Mister..." Marinette giggled. "Feliss - BURN BRIGHT!"

"Plagg - CLAWS OUT!" echoed Adrien.

A double white flash later, Tigresse and Chat Noir stood face-to-face, inches apart.

Chat peered into Tigresse's eyes. "All blue! Good. Does that mean WE can kiss?"

Tigresse put her hand on her hip. "Silly kitty," she smiled. "Let's do this!" She ran to the back of the bathroom, popped a window open, and leaped off towards Abby's loft.

Chat just shook his head, with a big smile. _I'm either going to marry that girl or she'll be the death of me. Fifty-fifty chance._

* * *

Abby Christophe watched the morning news on TV...

About three minutes later, she was completely hidden by white cotton walls, using her phone to look up a change-of-address form to have all of her mail delivered straight to Fort Fluffington.

 _NO NO NO NO NO! I knew this was coming!_ she thought, in a panic. _Hawkmoth's not done with me, and that Akuma is going to flutter in any minute and transform me! I just know it!_

 _Which is... just what he wants me to think! I need to be positive. I need to focus on good and happy thoughts to keep it away. Like one of my yoga classes. Breathe... Find my center..._

 _...My center that the tiger girl is going to slash her claws through I'M DOOMED I'M SO DOOMED!_

A knock at the window made Abby jump with fear. "Abby! It's me, Tigresse! Please let me in!"

Abby crawled out hesitantly, unlocked the window to allow Tigresse in, then slammed it shut hard enough that Tigresse was afraid it would break. "Hi," Abby panted, looking a bit surprised. "You... came back!"

"Of _course_ I came back!"" Tigresse replied. "I couldn't let you face something like this alone, could I?"

"Are Chat and Ladybug coming? I don't want you facing ME alone. I'm afraid one of us will hurt the other once I turn," Abby whimpered. "And if I hurt you, I'd hate myself so much."

"You haven't turned yet! Be positive with me," Tigresse pleaded. "We can beat this, Abby. You and me. Chat will come as soon as he can. Ladybug is... still out of commission. But I've SEEN someone resist an Akuma with my own eyes! Just be strong with me."

"I'm trying! But I'm... so scared..."

Tigresse reached over and hugged her, tightly. "Think of it like a bad dream. We'll prevent it if we can... but I promise you, if it does happen... you're going to wake up and it'll be gone. We'll find a way. You know I'd never want to hurt you." She grinned, and added, "There's always your pillow fort, if you think it'll help."

Abby wiped a tear away. "Why not?" she said, with a helpless laugh. "When this is all over, I'd love to meet you for real, Tigresse. You're something special."

"Maybe I'll find a way for that to happen, somehow," smiled Tigresse, as Abby entered Fort Fluffington and pulled up its pillow drawbridge. "I'll be here, on guard."

* * *

Master Fu watched the news reports from the safety of his own studio. A pair of Kwamis buzzed around him nervously.

"Master, I need to be with her, now!" worried Tikki. "We need Ladybug's purification power more than ever! I have to go to her!"

"And exactly how will you manage that, Tikki?" asked the Guardian. "Do you know where she is right now? Shall I call a taxi to carry the earrings there? And if the villains wake up while you're en route, and one of them blasts you, and you vanish in a puff of red smoke? You know better than that."

"Marinette is in danger! All of Paris is in danger... and you're going to leave it all up to HER?" Tikki scoffed.

"I am not so sure about this, either, Master..." worried Wayzz.

"I suggest the two of you should save your strength; especially you, Tikki," he parried. "It may well be needed before the end of this! But have some faith in our heroes, as well. You may be paired quite well with Marinette, Tikki, but her creativity paired with Feliss's energy and deviousness may bring out a whole new side of both of them."

"That's part of what I'm worried about," Tikki grumbled. "I was hibernating for, what, two days? And just that fast, Marinette and Chat Noir are kissing, he's offering up his secret identity to her, she's nearly killed someone and the streets are full of Akumas! If I was out for a week, they'd be married and expecting kittens and Hawkmoth would be Mayor of Paris."

Master Fu glared at Tikki, but she wasn't budging. "What, Master? You KNOW that Feliss is that unstable."

"I also know that in two days, they have done their best to battle a tricky Akuma without the power of Ladybug to help them. They have shared genuine emotion for each other, in both their identities; emotions that both have been denying and repressing for many months. Things have been said and done that, perhaps, needed to be. Things that were inevitable."

"But...!" Tikki protested.

"Tikki, you are order; Feliss is chaos. You are discretion, she is action. You two will never get along or agree on much. But that does not always make you right and Feliss wrong!" Master Fu lectured. "Marinette is a young woman, growing in many ways. She truly values your guidance, Tikki, and she loves you; you know that. But not all the paths she must walk are on your map for her."

Wayzz backed up a couple of feet, waiting for the explosion.

...Instead, Tikki bowed her head and nodded. "This isn't the time for this, I know. I apologize. Once Feliss is... back in her box... you and I can talk about these things."

Cautiously, Wayzz asked, "If they can't capture the Akuma, or if something goes wrong... Master, what do we do then?"

Master Fu frowned. "We go to Plan B. Yes, I have a Plan B. And, no, we don't want to go to Plan B."

* * *

Chat Noir opened his dresser drawer carefully, retrieving Master Fu's Akuma container from where it was nestled in between some soft clothes. He headed for the window, only for an incoming call from Tigresse to distract him. _Crap! I nearly dropped that just then!_ he thought.

"Chat... I'm here at Abby's loft and things are going sideways in town, according to the news. I'm standing guard and watching for Akumas. How's the container hunt going?" Tigresse asked.

"It's in my hands right now. You've got an address for me? ...Got it. I'm on my way, darling. Stay safe," he replied, and took off as fast as he could.

* * *

"I... will," Tigresse breathed... then squealed loudly, surprising Abby.

"Good news, I take it?" said the voice from inside the pillow fort.

"Chat Noir... called me 'darling!' He's never... we've never... oh my GOSH!" Tigresse bubbled.

"Are you serious?" Abby poked her head out of the fort. "You two are... Are you SERIOUS?"

"I should NOT be telling you this, but YES! It's a very long story that I can't tell most of, but he's the boy of my dreams and we've finally found each other!" beamed Tigresse.

"Oh my GOSH! I am absolutely thrilled for you!" Abby grinned. "Oh, I remember when I was your age, my first real boyfriend..."

As Abby spoke, Tigresse saw a shadow flicker across the room, and was horrified to see an Akuma pass through the window and flutter around Abby's bedroom. "Really? Tell me about him! I'd love to hear what it's like!"

The Akuma fluttered closer.

"His name was Michel... he had the sweetest smile, and the most beautiful hazel eyes..." Abby began reminiscing about her teenage love, quite fondly. Tigresse gasped as the Akuma hit the outer walls of Fort Fluffington...

...and it bounced off!

* * *

"What in the WORLD?" barked Hawkmoth, looking in from afar, astonished.

 _The fort didn't keep it out..._ Tigresse realized, _her positive vibe did! The Akuma can't recapture her if she doesn't have negative emotions!_ "That's so sweet, Abby!" said Tigresse, nervously. "Positive thoughts! What was he like? How did the relationship go?"

"Oh, we had a real rollercoaster of a relationship. He could be so affectionate and caring, but then sometimes he drove me SO CRAZY..." The butterfly wafted in and out, riding the tide of Abby's reminiscences, the highs and lows.

"Come on, Abby..." Hawkmoth encouraged her. "It's a teenage romance! It HAD to flame out badly in the end. Jump to that part of the story! Your minions await!"

"Um... What's the best date you ever had with him? I want ideas!" Tigresse asked, pushing her in the other direction. "Where should Chat and I go?"

"Oh, that's easy! We went to the June Masquerade as a couple... We were Romeo and Juliet that year... I had the prettiest gown..."

The Akuma headed for the window, repelled by the overflow of positive emotion.

"This is preposterous!" roared Hawkmoth. "I am not going to be defeated by memories of a pimply teenage boy who ISN'T EVEN HERE! He's probably a stockbroker or something by now, anyway!"

A thump at the window distracted everyone. Chat Noir entered quickly, the runed container under one arm. "Hello, everybody! Is everything..."

Tigresse made shushing gestures, pointing at the container and then at the Akuma... but it was too late.

Abby heard his voice and squealed again. "CHAT NOIR! Oh, I so have to see you two being so CUTE together..." She popped her head out of the fort, only to see the Akuma floating around her bedroom.

"AAAAAAAAAGGGGH!" she cried in terror, ducking back inside...

...only for the Akuma to react to her fear and strike, turning the fort a pulsating purple color!

"NOOOOO!" called Tigresse. "Stay focused, Abby! Keep it away! Don't let it control you!"

Chat assumed a defensive stance while Tigresse called out vocal support, desperately. Hawkmoth resumed his telepathic contact with a smug smile. "Ah, young love! The time of one's life in which everything comes so easily, not a trouble in the world... not like what we grown-ups have to deal with. You have bills to manage, rent to pay, unreliable clients, all the stresses of freelancing... Don't you deserve happiness, too, Psiphon? The means to grab it are right there in your hand. An endless fountain of creativity and inspiration. You want that, don't you?"

"I... shouldn't. But... I do..." whimpered Abby.

"Abby? Can you still hear me?" cried Tigresse.

"Tigresse... I'm so sorry, honey," said Abby, quietly. "You do what you have to do to me. I'll understand..."

Tears ran down Tigresse's face. Chat Noir grabbed her around the wait, yelled "We have to move, NOW!" and pulled her out the window with him, just as the transformation took Abby once more.

* * *

Chat moved as fast as he could with extremely precious cargo under each arm.

"I'm sorry, Tigresse! I really am. But we need room to move to take Psiphon on; she would have torn us apart in there," he apologized.

Tigresse was still sniffling a bit. "I know, Chat, you're right. But it's just... she doesn't deserve any of this! She is _such_ a nice person and Hawkmoth keeps tearing her world apart."

"Do any of the Akuma victims really deserve it? I know exactly what you mean, though. Are you going to be all right, honey?" Chat replied.

"...Tigresse?"

Her eyes were closed, and she was concentrating hard.

* * *

 _Feliss? Can you hear me?_

 _I can, Marinette. I'm here,_ the Kwami replied.

 _I need a promise from you. And I've never been more serious in all my life! If we're not on the same page today, something terrible will happen, I just know it! I want to know that I can let you loose today, if I have to._

 _And your condition for that is?_ asked Feliss, betraying no emotion.

 _If I need you... if you take over... you will hold your rage under control. You will _not_ hurt that girl. Even if it's me who pays the price for that._

 _Bluffing has won the day before with her. You would remove that from our arsenal?_ said Feliss.

 _We don't have time to argue whether you were bluffing or not those other times. What's past is past. Today... right now, Feliss... are we together, or are we not?_

There was a long pause...

 _My dear child... you have my word. We are as one. Call and I will answer._

* * *

Tigresse opened her eyes... which Chat was relieved to see were still pure black-on-blue.

"Sorry about that... I was checking in with someone, making sure that we're ready to work together, and that there will be no surprises," she smiled.

"...And?" His eyes spoke volumes.

"She says you shouldn't be afraid if she comes out to play... and neither should Psiphon."

Chat paused before asking, "...Do you believe her?"

Tigresse didn't pause. "Today, I do."

* * *

Chat grinned back at her. "Okay, let's get up high and see what we're dealing with here. A split Akuma is really bad news, because we're not dealing with one villain... more like several. Maybe dozens."

"Yeah, I remember Stoneheart... um, when I saw it on the news reports and the LadyBlog... and that didn't look like much fun," replied Tigresse.

They scanned the immediate vicinity and saw pink figures moving in from all directions. "They're wasting no time," Tigresse noted.

"Ooh! Not good. We need to double back and find the original, but we can't get outflanked by the minions while fighting Psiphon or they'll blast us silly." Chat frowned. "Got any ideas?"

"Our best asset is our mobility. We can avoid minion attacks with our speed and agility - and we don't need to beat them _all_ up, just neutralize them. How about a merry chase - or, rather, two of them? We can split up and lead them on, then bring them together where we want them to go."

"And where is that?" Chat asked. _Heh - this feels like old times!_ he thought. _I follow Ladybug's instincts all the time, she is so good at tactics... and Marinette seems like a natural at that, too!_ He looked at her with undisguised admiration. _I know that this is supposed to be a temporary thing, only until Ladybug returns...but I wonder if I can put in a good word with Master Fu to make it permanent, if she'd want it to be? The three of us would be an unbeatable team._

"The football stadium, over there? It's big, it's open, maybe we can bunch them up together... and then there's something I can try." She closed her eyes and thought, _Will it do what I think it will?_

 _And then some,_ Feliss answered.

She gave Chat a thumbs-up, and he turned to leap towards his half of the psychic minions, only for Tigresse to grab him by the tail. "One more thing," she said.

"What's that?"

With a big grin, she moved forward and kissed him, tenderly. "For luck," she winked. "Be safe."

"You too."

* * *

Chat ran as fast as he could, guarding the container as best he could; he needed his baton for maximum mobility, but it wasn't easy to use one-handed. Before long, he had a dozen pink minions chasing him down. _I need to keep them bunched as best I can, and not get caught in a crossfire; if I get hit hard and this breaks, we may be done here,_ he thought.

"Come on, you guys! I know you can aim better than THAT," he taunted a trio of them. Three pink force beams in response showed that, in fact, they could, and he very nearly got smacked by two of them.

 _I know Marinette well enough that I'm pretty sure she knows what she's doing with this,_ he thought... _but, man, I sure hope she knows what she's doing with this_ _._

* * *

Tigresse flipped and dodged acrobatically, doing her best to be as annoying as possible to the pink-clad minions chasing her down. _Once we get them bunched,_ she thought, _it'll be interesting to see how many I can take out at once... I'm hoping that I can at least stun them there and then Chat and I can rush Abby. And then..._

 _What ARE we going to do? I'm betting she's staying close to home, if the pillows are what got Akumatized. I'm not entirely sure - it might've been something else she was carrying while she was inside it. I so wish I had my yo-yo; it's so much better for harmless containment than claws are._

That troubled her. _Scaring her to death was the best tactic I've found so far for Psiphon... but I'm not using my claws on her, and I know it. She might, too. What do I do if she calls my bluff?_

 _I - AUUUUGH!_

Two beams shot out from either side of her; one tripped her up, and the other caught her head-on as she was falling forwards. Tigresse got knocked back close to twenty feet, and just barely managed to soften her fall.

 _HEAD IN THE GAME, Marinette! These guys don't seem to have the original's creativity, but they still hit like a truck._ She sat up, gathered her thoughts quickly, and put her focus back on taunting the villains where she needed them to go.

* * *

Chat Noir leapt off the top of the stadium, bouncing off of some seats and landing in front of the north goal. A few moments later, a dark-clad tigress landed beside him. They watched as a small army of pink figures clambered through the entrances and seats on the south end, like a football team from hell.

"Okay... we have them bunched up. This HAS to be most of them, maybe all. We don't have Ladybug's Lucky Charm... but you've been my lucky charm ever since I met you," Chat smiled. "I'll follow your lead on this - what do you have in mind?"

"Get behind me, Chat," Tigresse grinned. "A little further back, at least. I've got a little something I've been saving for just such an occasion."

Chat's eyes grew wide. "You mean..."

"Shhh." She closed her eyes halfway and focused. _A little closer. You, on the edge there, move in a little more..._

Pink force tendrils reached out from the closest minions; they landed just short of Tigresse, who didn't budge. She took a very deep breath... and deep inside her, something grinned a very wicked grin.

"TIGER'S ROAR!"

* * *

It began with one note. A deep bass sound barely within the human hearing range, but animals all around the stadium heard it, sensing its vibrations... and they ran and flew away as fast as they could.

The note was joined by others, rapidly. Some higher, some lower. All of them loud and growing quite louder.

Tigresse's eyes turned pure gold as she focused on the approaching villains, who continued advancing... then stopped... then starting moving backwards. The closest ones were not so much moving as being pushed... then, as the volume doubled and redoubled, they were flying, end over end.

Chat watched in utter amazement as his friend unleashed sound and fury like he'd never heard before in his life. He crouched down, covering up as best he could, both hands over his ears, and it was still like being next to an airplane taking off with a running jackhammer in his hands.

It was a roar of the gods.

His vision blurred briefly, he closed his eyes... and he held on for dear life, feeling himself being pushed backwards even from several feet behind her.

* * *

Chat opened his eyes... and couldn't believe what he saw.

In front of Tigresse, _nothing_ remained standing. The ground was ripped up in a rough cone shape before her; the goal at the south end had been ripped from its moorings and was about twenty rows up in what remained of the seats. Half of THOSE in the south end had been torn loose, thrown about or shattered. Pink figures were strewn about semi-randomly, unmoving, arms and legs sticking out of the wreckage at odd angles.

"Did... I do that?" asked Tigresse, stunned and a little wobbly. "I hope I didn't hurt anyone..."

"I can safely say that wasn't me that did that. And I think they're fine," Chat replied. "Transformed, they're usually like us, pretty hard to hurt. The ones who are in the stadium, I don't think they're moving for a while. The ones out there..."

He pointed at a large hole blown through the end of the stadium. "...They're not moving until at least Tuesday. You got ALL of them!"

"I can't believe the plan worked so well!" Tigresse bubbled. "I think we've got a clear shot at Psiphon now. Grab the container, and we can -"

"I think it worked a little too well," Chat answered.

She turned, and found him standing over an ancient glass container... or at least what was left of it after even a fraction of her sonic assault had hit it.

* * *

Next time:

* Our Heroes vs. Psiphon - the final battle. Who will be left standing?

* Feliss vs. Tikki - who will end up as Marinette's guiding star?

* Marinette and Adrien vs. Their Hormones - 'nuff said?

* Master Fu has some decisions to make...

* And things may be seen that have never been seen before.


	8. Frame Thy Fearful Symmetry

Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright, Chapter 8: Frame Thy Fearful Symmetry

* * *

Tigresse looked at the shattered glass container... and her excitement and giddiness turned into horror in a heartbeat.

"NO!" she cried out, crestfallen. "I should have known... been more careful..."

"I'm the one who got too close," Chat Noir consoled her. "I knew your roar would be powerful, but not THAT powerful... When Feliss said 'a roar to shake the heavens,' she wasn't KIDDING!"

"Now what are we going to do?" Tigresse whimpered, her hands up at her face. "We've got no way to capture the Akuma, and we can't let it loose again - imagine if it multiplied AGAIN! - and Tikki is still weakened!"

"Yeah. Wait... You DO know who Tikki is?" asked Chat, staring at her.

"I take notes when I talk to Feliss and Master Fu, thank you," Tigresse smirked. "And speaking of Master Fu, I think we'd better get this back to him and show him what I did. He said that he had another idea, but he didn't sound happy about it."

"Especially since you now have five minutes left! Not that I don't know your ID, but we don't want the rest of Paris to know it." Chat still had a curious look on his face, and Tigresse could see him thinking hard about something.

 _All by itself, what she said makes sense,_ he thought. _But th_ e _very first time Feliss came out of the box, she called Marinette "Friend of Tikki." I let it go then, because we were a bit preoccupied... but she certainly hadn't talked with Master Fu yet THEN! There's something going on here..._

Tigresse watched him with a bit of concern. _He's doing some serious mental math, and I'm not ready for him to solve that problem and complicate things QUITE yet!_ _Soon, but maybe not right this minute in the middle of a crisis..._

Quickly, she called "Fade out!" and transformed back to Marinette, then hopped into his arms. "Let's go, then!" she smiled.

"Like this?" Chat asked.

"I needed to transform back anyway, right? This way I can hug you on the way there," she beamed at him. _And some gratuitous cuddling should take your mind off of such things!_

She giggled inside when Chat's sudden smile told her that her ploy had worked, and he hurtled off with her over the side of the stadium.

* * *

In his lair, Hawkmoth looked on with a stunned expression at the carnage in the stadium, including the hole Tigresse's roar had blasted straight through it. _And THAT is why I send out villainous patsies, instead of challenging heroes personally,_ he shuddered. _Even WITHOUT her claws, that one's an utter force of nature!_

A little apprehensively, he turned his attention back to the original Psiphon, now perhaps the only one left standing. "Psiphon! This is Hawkmoth," he called. "Are you prepared to... Psiphon?"

"I'm ready," a muffled voice said, from within a heavily padded pink costume. "As ready as I'm going to be."

"What did you... do just now?" Hawkmoth asked, bemused.

"You Akumatized my pillow fort... so I incorporated it into my costume. Super-dense memory foam armor with psychic cement backing it up! If I just leave my pillows at home, they're sitting ducks; this way I can go out and challenge her, and maybe have some level of protection from those claws," Psiphon explained. "It may not work, but it's better than nothing."

"Fair enough," the archvillain conceded, "even if you look like a strawberry cream puff with legs. You are aware of what just happened to your minions?"

"Something very very very very loud and powerful. That's about all I got from them before all their lights went out."

"Suffice it to say that if you hear the words 'tiger's roar,' you should already be running," noted Hawkmoth. "Are you, er, mentally prepared for one more battle? Either you seize Chat Noir's Miraculous this time around, or I may have to cut my losses..."

"I'm... ready, Hawkmoth," shuddered Psiphon. "I'm adjusting my tactics. Instead of me outfighting her, I need to keep her from fighting me at all. I think I have some ways of making that happen. Either way, now I know a lot more of what she can do, and she shouldn't have any more surprises in store."

* * *

"I can't say that I'm very surprised," lamented Master Fu. "It's not a lack of faith in the two of you, but I knew the container was fragile when I sent it with you."

"I am SO SORRY," Marinette apologized, close to tears. "I didn't realize just how powerful the Tiger's Roar really was."

"I was the one who got too close! Blame me, not her. Marinette's still very new to being a superhero," Adrien jumped in.

Marinette and Master Fu gave each other a small smile and left it at that. "I am not assigning blame. As I said, I expected this, and I have an alternative... though it is one to which I did not want to resort. Ordinarily, purifying the Akuma would be left to Ladybug, but Tikki, her Kwami, is still too weak to transform and power Ladybug on her own."

A tiny voice from the next room called out, "I TOLD YOU that I can do it, Master. I don't care what it does to me."

"WE care what it does to you!" Marinette responded immediately, mostly from instinct. "I won't endanger you."

"The world is always going to need Ladybug. And that means it needs you," Adrien agreed, as Marinette tried not to flutter openly.

"Tikki, come out here," Master Fu called. "You should... meet these young people."

A small red creature floated out from Master Fu's back room, reluctantly. She hovered in front of Adrien briefly and smiled. "It's good to finally meet you, Adrien! I've heard quite a lot about you."

"Charmed, I'm sure," he smiled back. "Does your... host know me, out of costume?"

"I'd say she's heard of you," Tikki grinned, holding back. "Trust me that she's been thinking of you, both as Adrien and as Chat Noir." She flew over and landed on Marinette's right shoulder, turning to listen to the Guardian.

"And as for Feliss... where is Feliss at the moment, Marinette?" he asked, frowning and looking around the room.

"Here I am!" the feline Kwami muttered, coming through the back door, her mouth half full of... something. "Just finishing my lunch."

"Errrrgh!" Tikki cried out. "I don't even want to know, do I?"

Master Fu sighed. "I'm going to have to count the koi in my pond out back later, aren't I? Never mind, for now. Feliss, you have done quite well at guiding Marinette these last few days, but you can only do so much. You are unable to purify an Akuma, and Tikki is too weak to do so. And so we are going to consider something very risky, but also very necessary."

He looked Marinette in the eye as he continued, "...We must combine the power of two Miraculouses."

* * *

"We can _do_ that?" asked Adrien.

"In dire circumstances," the old man explained. "That is Hawkmoth's goal, after all - to combine the Creation and Destruction Miraculouses and gain godlike power for his selfish aims."

"But we can't let that happen, because the wish that would grant could disrupt the balance of the universe... WHAT?" she said, looking at Adrien's quizzical expression at how she knew that. "I. TAKE. NOTES," she grinned.

"Just so," Master Fu smiled. "The combination of the primary Miraculouses is never to be used. A primary and secondary Miraculous, however, are slightly less dangerous together. The combined powers can be fearsome indeed! But so is the strain on the user, which can be _tremendous._ Sometimes debilitating... and on one sad occasion, fatal."

"Then let _me_ do it, Master," Adrien said, immediately. "I have more experience at this, and I don't want Marinette to be put at risk."

"You were listening just now, Adrien?" Fu chided the young man. "We cannot combine Ladybug's and Chat Noir's Miraculouses. And we must pair Ladybug's with another. I admire your desire to be protective, but unless you renounce Plagg and become Ladybug yourself..."

Adrien sat back, a trifle downcast. He looked at Marinette, who shrugged and mouthed the word _Notes._

Tikki spoke up. "So whom would I partner with, Master? The Fox, the Bee, or the Turtle? Marinette would be such a cute Queen Bee! Or maybe pull the Monkey out of storage? I haven't seen him since... um..."

Master Fu stared at her. Tikki looked down at the Tiger Miraculous, still around Marinette's neck, then back at Master Fu. "No. Oh, no. No, no, no, NO!"

* * *

"How would this work, Master Fu?" asked Marinette, trying to talk over Tikki's sputtering protests for the moment.

"We need to minimize how much Tikki is in play, activated or not," said the Guardian. "Notwithstanding all the energy she is expending at the moment expressing her outrage, she is still greatly weakened, and therein lies our dilemma! Activated, you will burn through her powers much faster than normal, and should be careful when and if you use them. However, if she takes a draining hit right now like the one that started all this off, it could shut her down for months... or worse."

"So would I use both at the same time, or stick to one at a time? Is one going to be a fuel tank of sorts for the other?" Marinette continued.

"I would say to use Feliss by herself, until you get an opening to free the Akuma; then, activate Tikki at the same time and hurry. Try not to activate Tikki by herself unless it is _absolutely necessary,"_ he said. "The physical strain of doubling up will be great. The mental strain even more so, unless the Kwamis are perfectly in sync, and... I have my doubts about that."

"Then why use Feliss for this?" countered Tikki. "You know what the likely result will be."

"Tell me what the result will be, Tikki," Feliss snarled. "Since I'm being talked about like I'm not right here next to you. What horrible thing is about to happen if you and I coexist?"

"You are _dangerous,"_ Tikki snapped back at her. "You have always _been_ dangerous. You are endangering my host every minute you are with her! She-"

"The world you are both in _is_ dangerous. If it was not, you'd be still be over Marinette's shoulder right now, instead of a weakened shell needing to be propped up." Feliss's eyes flashed, but not entirely with anger. "And Marinette would be poorer for it."

"Tikki's host? Over MARINETTE's shoulder?" asked Adrien, his attention seized. "What are you..."

"Shhh!" Marinette shushed him. "We're going to talk later, I promise. This is important right now!"

Adrien kept quiet, but she could see the wheels spinning even faster in his head, and she knew what his next question would likely be.

Marinette sighed, but not unpleasantly. _I think the talk I had planned with you just got moved up in my datebook. Hope you're ready for this!_

"You know what? C'mere, you. We're going to talk _right now,_ " she told him with a big smile, grabbing his arm. "We'll be right back," she called to the rest of the room.

Tikki's jaw dropped in mid-sentence. Feliss mouthed _I'M PROUD OF YOU!_ at Marinette as she pulled Adrien out the back door.

* * *

Once out behind Master Fu's home, Adrien started talking fast. "Marinette, I _know_ you want to hear what they're talking about, and I get that it's important, and we don't have to do this right now, I promise, but all of a sudden I could SWEAR that a lot of things are making sense, and -"

Marinette put her finger on his lips to shut him up. "I need to do the talking for a minute, Kitty. Okay?"

He nodded, anxiously.

"I _really_ thought that if anything was going to give me away, it'd be from ME slipping up, not from the Kwamis! They've only been at this for, what, a few thousand years?" she grinned. "But I can see it in your eyes, honey. You're too smart for me to fake you out forever after what you've heard, and since I've got this rush of confidence right now _for some strange reason_ when it comes to you... I want to say the rest to you now, before they say it for me."

"What are you telling me, Marinette?" Adrien asked, with an increasingly hopeful grin.

"Adrien, you have two sides to you... and they are both incredibly special to me. I love them both! You're the love of my life and my silly kitty! You know how hard I fell for your Adrien side... or at least I spent a couple of hours giving you hints the other night," Marinette giggled. "Your Chat Noir side has had a lot of heartache, and I've helped you through a lot of it, talking things out together on my balcony... or at least I hope I have. But what you _don't_ know yet... is how much of that I _caused."_

"YOU caused?" he replied, not much above a whisper.

"When you told Ladybug how Chat Noir really felt about her, even though she could see how sincere you were, she let you down easy... partly because of secret identity stuff, and partly because she was in love with somebody else. You've told me all about that a hundred times as Chat. But, Adrien..." She took his hands in hers and squeezed them, gently.

"...Who do you think that someone else was?"

"I... don't know. I never pressed her on that! If she wanted me to know, she'd tell me," Adrien answered.

"I have a couple of questions for you now, Adrien," Marinette asked, with a twinkle in her big blue eyes. "Feliss seems pretty sure that Tikki and I know each other. Did you wonder how we might have met?"

"I did... and I figured we'd talk about it once all this was over, but..." Adrien stammered. "I know you've MET Ladybug..."

"As Tigresse, I picked up on how Miraculouses work pretty darned fast, didn't I, Adrien? Must've seemed a little strange to you," she added, with a huge grin. "Almost as if I'd used one before."

Two and two in Adrien's head became four in a bright flash of insight.

"Marinette... I'm... I don't know what to..." he stumbled, hope and delight overwhelming him. "Are you telling me that YOU'RE..."

"I'm telling you, Chat Noir, that your Ladybug didn't turn you down because she had no feelings for you as Chat... she turned Chat down because she didn't know your true identity, and she was in love with YOU!"

Right before she leapt into his arms, Marinette yelled, "AND SHE STILL IS!"

* * *

Inside, the argument continued, with increasing volume.

"I have spent MONTHS planning everything with Plagg, managing their secret identities as carefully as we can!" Tikki yelled. "MAKING VERY SURE that all combinations remain on good terms without endangering either one's secret life, the whole reason that Plagg and I are in their lives to begin with!"

She gestured at Plagg, who backed away rapidly. "I am not getting EITHER ONE of you mad at me right now. It's not healthy," he begged off.

Feliss was unbowed. "I did not throw Marinette at Adrien _or_ at Chat Noir. I did not spill any secrets before she found them out herself, despite how OBVIOUS most of them are for anyone paying attention! The girl loves both boy and cat. The boy loves both girl and bug. I let them make their discoveries at their own pace - but I _let them discover and grow_ and both are better for it."

"You nearly ruined _everything,_ is what you did!" Tikki snarled.

"I treated the girl with the same importance as the mission. Unlike some others-" retorted Feliss.

Master Fu smacked his fist on the table. "ENOUGH!" he roared. "Tikki, Feliss, enough! If the three of us need to lock ourselves in a room and hash this out later, we will do that! But right now, I CANNOT have you two howling at each other when you simply MUST cooperate, for the sake of the girl you both care about!"

He took a breath. "Speaking of the girl... Wayzz, please go fetch Marinette and Adrien? I believe they are out back, and they do need to be here for this. Maybe their presence will keep you two from hissing at each other."

"Certainly, Master!" Wayzz said, happy to have an excuse to leave the firing lines. He flew to the back door, then through it. "Adrien? Marinette?" he called, quietly, not seeing any sign of either.

A giggle from the bushes got his attention. "Ahem!" he coughed, then flew over there when the only response was a few more giggles.

* * *

The back door opened, and Marinette and Adrien came through it hand-in-hand with Wayzz right behind them, glaring at them.

"We're, um, back!" Adrien called out, grinning sheepishly.

"Sorry to keep you waiting! We had to, er, talk something out between us," added Marinette, a smile on her face that a chisel couldn't have removed.

"I see! Please come in. I think we need to discuss as a group... hmmm! Were those grass stains there before on your outfits?" he asked, with a sly chuckle.

Feliss snorted loudly and let out an approving laugh. Tikki just gawked in disbelief. Plagg took the opportunity to find an extremely interesting corner of the room that he'd never examined in detail before.

"I do believe, Tikki, that our young woman and man are growing up," Master Fu smiled. "And before you explode, you should know that Marinette confided with me about it beforehand, and I approved! Or rather, I approved of their sharing of identities at this point. What went on in my bushes just now is strictly between them."

A pair of beet-red blushes said all that either planned on saying out loud about _that._

"You really _approved_ of that?" Tikki boggled. "Master Fu, but _why?"_

"Because both of these young heroes have proven themselves, and their trustworthiness, a hundred times over," he lectured. "They have demonstrated the maturity needed to save Paris and defeat evil, but also to confront just-as-scary things - their futures, their relationships, and in some ways each other. Evil is sometimes easier to confront than Love."

He continued, "And I need all sides of both of them to grow and prosper. The passion necessary for their relationships in all their combinations to thrive; the discretion needed to keep their secrets from everyone else, and to build the bonds between them maturely. The yin and the yang must be balanced to reach harmony. And while you have done an admirable job guiding Marinette up to this point, Tikki... a fact that I now believe young Adrien is aware of, judging from the looks on both their faces..."

"He is," Adrien added, happily. "And if it makes you feel better, Tikki, you did a great job, because for the longest time I had _absolutely_ _no idea..."_

"While I have had harsh words with Feliss about some of her choices and actions... I am not unhappy with her guidance, either," continued Master Fu. "I was young once myself, believe it or not! And I have never seen either one of these two quite as happy as I see them right now. If I can keep them from flattening my begonias, Ladybug and Chat Noir will emerge stronger than ever before."

"He's talking sense, Tikki, Feliss," Marinette interjected. "And I have never _been_ this happy in all my life... but I am also committed to helping this city, to helping that girl that Hawkmoth's victimized. And THAT comes first. If I need both of you to do that, I'm asking _both_ of you! I need Tikki's heart and compassion as much as I do Feliss's energy and spirit today. Let's get this done and save the day, and later we can all figure out how things go forward."

Both Kwamis fell silent.

"Marinette, you know that I have only ever wanted the best for you..." Tikki lamented.

"And you've given it to me! I couldn't have done any of the amazing things I've done this year without you! And I can't do _this_ without you, either," reassured Marinette. "Are you with me?"

Tikki grumbled under her breath for a moment, then replied, "...Of course I am."

Feliss flew up by Tikki's side. "Of course WE are."

Marinette held her hands out, and a Kwami landed in each. She gave each a warm gaze, then closed her eyes and whispered to Master Fu, "And I'm SORRY about your begonias..."

* * *

"In which case, Marinette... I do believe these are yours." Master Fu extended a hand to her, containing familiar red-and-black earrings.

She put them on, feeling a major charge running all through her. Part of it was the familiar sensation of reconnecting with the Miraculous, she sensed... and part of it was putting them on right in front of Adrien for the very first time, with him not only knowing but watching her deepest secret.

"Feliss... BURN BRIGHT!" she called, and her first transformation took her. Tikki floated up to her, a trifle curious, but also with a part of her shying away from actually looking at Tigresse, as that implied accepting that this had just happened to her Marinette.

"Tikki?" Tigresse said to her, gently. "I promise that we will talk later about this whole experience, okay? As long and as often as we need to. You know exactly how much you mean to me."

She heard a very faint gagging noise in the back of her consciousness, and thought back hard at it - _PLAY NICE!_

"Actually... before we go, I wanted to ask you about something, Tikki," she continued. "If I concentrate hard, Feliss and I can kind of... talk to each other in my head when I'm transformed. I'm not sure that you and I have ever done that. When I'm Ladybug... can you hear my thoughts, or send thoughts back?"

"Not really, no. Or at least not that I know of," replied Tikki. "I can sense what you sense, but the core Miraculouses are more... insulated. That's both a good and a bad thing sometimes, I suppose. Plagg, you're the same?"

"Far as I know," the black cat shrugged.

"Good to know," Tigresse smiled. "If I need your advice in a pinch, that way I know not to shout it in my head and wait for an answer."

She gestured to Tikki, who curled up in part of Tigresse's outfit to ride along. She swore that she heard a tiny voice say something like "...I actually DO like the new costume" under its breath.

"Plagg, are you ready? CLAWS OUT!" called Adrien, transforming to Chat Noir. "All right, folks... we've got a job to do."

* * *

As the two heroes left with Tikki riding shotgun, Wayzz turned to Master Fu, questioningly. "And if THIS plan fails, Master?" he asked.

"Then we go to Plan C," he said, with a straight face.

"We have a Plan C?" wondered Wayzz.

"Yes. We C just how fast we can all run because I'm out of ideas for now."

* * *

Tigresse and Chat Noir sped over the rooftops of Paris together, both all but floating on air.

"So, tell me, Bugaboo..." Chat remarked, with a huge grin. "Is that why you wouldn't open your eyes that night, after I de-transformed?"

"You got it," she replied. "You knew I was Tigresse; you had no idea I was Ladybug, too. And before I could know Chat's ID as Ladybug... I really needed to talk to Master Fu and make sure that wouldn't put everything we have in jeopardy! You have NO IDEA how much I wanted to open my eyes, Chat... but the job had to come first. What we do is too important."

"I'm glad you did. For a lot of reasons," Chat smiled. "I mean, that makes a lot more sense now. The one person I know who's the most dead serious about secret IDs is Ladybug... up until this afternoon, anyway! And I know that we both still are! Our secrets stay strictly between us, both ways."

"Chat... Master Fu didn't tell me to tell you that I'm Ladybug. He told me that I _could_, when I felt the time was right. I want you to know that." Tigresse's eyes were big and soulful. "Even though a couple of Kwamis let some big hints drop just now," she said with a smile towards her pocket, "we could've gone right back to our guessing games for a while, once I give the Tiger Miraculous back."

"You're giving it back?" asked Chat, mildly surprised.

"Do you think he wouldn't want it back? Master Fu keeps the Miraculouses under pretty tight lock-and-key, and we both know why," said Tigresse. "And as much good as Feliss's guidance has been for me... at least when I haven't been trying to wring her neck... the world needs Ladybug more. It's not about want or don't want, y'know? Being Tigresse is a very different powerset, a very different feeling inside... and I'd be lying if I said I didn't like a lot of it! But being Ladybug is a bigger side of who I am, and the biggest responsibility."

Chat nodded and said, "Yeah, I get that."

"But my point, Chat... is that you've _always_ had my trust. There were rules we both had to follow, and I had to make sure I followed them even when they hurt both of us... but I never held myself back because I didn't trust _you._ And now that all of this craziness is finally coming together, now that my partner and my best buddy are also the boy I love, and his friend and confidant turned out to be HIS crush..."

"More than just a crush, Marinette. And I hope you know that," he smiled, warmly.

"Ever since that first romantic night on the balconies, I've known that. And I'll tell you, Kitty, you don't make it at all easy for a girl to hold back when you're sincere like that!" she grinned back. "And as Marinette, you showed up on my balcony with a MIRACULOUS for me! That's kind of a sign that I'm pretty high on your list."

"I wish I could've seen Master Fu's face when he found out that he let me pick a Miraculous to give, and I ran straight to Ladybug to give it to her," Chat laughed. "I can hear him now, 'Two million people in Paris...'"

Tigresse giggled, "He said something about 'Of course he did...' But when you brought it to me, how could I tell you 'No?' I wanted so much to use that second chance to stay by your side and protect you."

"We're going to be doing even more of that from now on," said Chat. "If you thought I was protective of 'my lady' BEFORE..."

"The feeling is mutual, Kitty," Tigresse smiled, blowing a kiss. "Now let's go find our villain."

Tikki remained silent... but her mind was definitely racing.

* * *

They landed outside Abby's bedroom window, peering in extremely cautiously. "No sign of her," Chat noted. "I didn't really think there would be, but it was the logical place to start."

"Her pillow fort's gone, too. I guess that's what did get Akumatized, though it'd be awfully bulky for her to carry around, wouldn't it?" said Tigresse.

"Very! Maybe she did something to it in the transformation. We didn't stick around long enough to find out... and we won't find out from here. I'm going in," he answered.

Tigresse grabbed at his arm as he slipped through the window. "Could this be a trap?" she asked.

"I always think everything could be a trap," Chat grinned. "That is why I'm still ali-i-i-i-i-IIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!"

His sentence turned into a shriek of surprise as what he thought was the ceiling collapsed down around him, turned pink, and wrapped him up in a tight energy bubble!

"I do appreciate you being predictable, heroes. It makes my job so much easier," called a familiar voice.

"PSIPHON! Show yourself!" yelled Tigresse, watching with horror as Chat's force bubble quickly flew out the window and high above the street. "Let him out of there!"

"And why would I do that?" Psiphon's pink figure came into view on a neighboring rooftop. "You two were breaking and entering into my loft! Consider this a citizen's arrest."

"Do you see us breaking anything?" Tigresse gestured. "No! That'd be rude of us. We were just entering! That's what cats do - we enter things."

"In that case, let me make my feline intruder more at home..." Psiphon gestured, and her force bubble around Chat Noir shifted its shape into that of a big cardboard box.

They both heard a muffled and sarcastic "HA, HA!" from up there.

Tigresse looked closely at Psiphon. "That's a new look for you, isn't it? Like you've put on some weight.. mostly memory foam. Do you really think that will stop me?" she asked, extending her claws menacingly.

"It depends on how smart you are, kittycat," Psiphon taunted. "This psychic armor isn't going to keep you out forever... but it should blunt your attack long enough for me to cut off your partner's air supply up there. He's already running low, see? So STAY WHERE YOU ARE!"

Tigresse peered up at Chat... who was banging on the side of the box and not looking happy about it.

"I can cut that bubble back and make the whole thing skintight with a thought," the villain warned. "And by the time you could get to me and through my armor... he'd be dead from lack of air! So you've got two choices, and _neither one_ is to fight me. Either take your Miraculous off RIGHT NOW and drop it over the side of the building... or don't, and say goodbye to your partner!"

 _I can't risk Chat's life!_ she thought... _But I also can't just give her my Miraculous! I'm stuck... If I take off the tiger jewelry, Tikki's still not strong enough on her own for me to become Ladybug!_

 _THINK, Marinette! What can I do to change the situation? What is she... afraid of..._

A nasty grin spread across the face of Tigresse. It was replaced with a look that was all business.

 _Feliss? Can you do something for me?_ thought Marinette, inwardly.

* * *

Psiphon looked on as her feline opponent stood still, seemingly unsure of what to do. "I'm serious!" she called over. "Your partner's life is in my..."

Tigresse moved, quite suddenly, with a lightning-fast leap... and was now mere meters away from Psiphon, on the same rooftop, claws fully extended.

"You have absolutely no idea who or what you are dealing with, mortal child," came a deep voice from within Tigresse. Psiphon looked closely, and saw gold points very prominent in Tigresse's blue eyes. She shuddered, involuntarily.

A small voice from within Tigresse's costume whispered, "Marinette?" She ignored it.

"You seem to be... uncomfortable with what I can do to you with these claws. You see my partner up there? He is one word away from ending your life right now," Tigresse threatened. "When I cut up your puny little projections, it really hurts, doesn't it? When HE uses Cataclysm to disintegrate your bubble - and I guarantee you, he will, any moment now - he can choose for it to follow that psychic link and take you with it."

Tigresse's sinister grin made Psiphon back up three steps. She added, "You thought _I_ was the dangerous one? Silly child. If I take your head off, at least it'd be _quick."_

Psiphon wavered, still backing away, approaching the edge of the rooftop. "You... you're bluffing! You have to be," she stammered.

"I _have_ to be _nothing._ I am the spirit of an ancient goddess in a mortal form!" Tigresse proclaimed. "A tigress does only as she wishes... So YOU have two choices. Either you release your bubble around him NOW, and surrender..."

Tigresse prepared to leap again, rubbing her front claws together. "Or I release it for you... along with your insides... in about five seconds."

The villain gulped loudly. "I... you..."

Tikki nearly shouted at Tigresse, still trying to remain out of sight, "GET A GRIP ON YOURSELF! Don't let Feliss control you! What do you think you're..."

...which became a simple "Oh!" when Tigresse looked down at her and shot her a sly wink.

Tigresse looked up again... and her eyes flashed solid gold! "TIME'S UP!" she shouted with a huge grin, as she began her leap, claws out and shining...

* * *

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!" screamed Psiphon, fleeing as quickly as she could, primal fear seizing her! The bubble vanished abruptly, as did everything else in Psiphon's world besides the need for her to get away NOW.

Tigresse landed where Psiphon had been standing, then redirected her next leap to intercept the falling Chat Noir, catching him cleanly and landing on the next roof over.

"Whew! Thanks, partner! For a second there, I... uh..." He recoiled, hopping out of her arms as he saw her golden eyes.

Tigresse struck an aggressive pose... then retracted her claws and posed as cutely as she could. "Don't tell me that you're scared of little ol' ME, are you, Chat?" she purred, teasingly.

"But your EYES were..." he stammered.

"These eyes?" Tigresse fluttered, smiling coyly at him... as Chat watched her eyes go from gold, to gold-on-blue, to pure blue, back to gold, then to blue again rapidly. "Feliss taught me how to manipulate that effect, just now. I was in control that whole time. Not that Psiphon knew that!"

"That was all a BLUFF?" said Tikki and Chat, together.

"Of course it was! I wasn't going to hurt her, silly! What do you think I am?" laughed Tigresse in Tikki's direction, a hand on one hip. "Besides, I knew Chat could always Cataclysm his way out of that bubble if it got too dangerous, and he knew I'd catch him if he did. We trust each other."

"You know, I hadn't thought it out in those exact words... but she's right, Tikki," smiled Chat. "This is my lady we're talking about. I always know she'll come through."

"What would you have done if she hadn't fallen for it, Marin... Tigresse?" asked Tikki, still looking concerned.

"I'd have tried my luck on her armor... very carefully. These claws are super sharp, but very precise. I bet if I took a few chunks off of her armor, her attitude would've changed pretty fast," smiled Tigresse. "But I'm pulling my claws AND my punches with her, any way I can. She's too sweet inside for me to endanger."

"Whew! For a second there, Tigresse, I'll admit that you really had me worried," conceded Tikki. "But I'm proud of how you're handling things right now, in a lot of ways."

"I learned the responsibilities that come with a Miraculous from one of the best, didn't I?" she grinned, winking at Tikki.

"Not to hustle you two along, or anything..." noted Chat, "but we now have a very powerful AND very scared villain on the loose, and we don't know where she's going. Shall we?"

"Let's do this, Tikki. If you dare..." Tigresse teased.

Tikki rolled her eyes a little, but hopped back into Tigresse's costume and the trio headed in the direction of Psiphon's flight.

* * *

Psiphon heard many sounds behind her, and ignored them.

She heard the crackle of Hawkmoth's energy signature on her face... and she ignored that.

Finally, a bioelectric jolt inside her made her pay attention to something other than the word _RUN!_ echoing in her skull. She skittered to a stop, feeling considerable pain, keeping her back to a concrete wall behind her.

"PSIPHON! Please do not make me resort to such means!" lectured Hawkmoth. "Compose yourself, now!"

"Compose _this,"_ Psiphon panted. "Just take the powers back, already. I don't want them any more! Please!"

"It doesn't work like that," grumbled the archvillain. "The Akuma is paired with you. I can't recall it any more than you can simply let it go."

 _I'm actually not sure about that,_ he thought. _There may be a way for her to formally renounce it, by saying that specific word... but I have far too much time and effort invested in her now to simply let her walk away. Besides, she might still win the day, despite all her fear and panic!_

"Then tell me what I can do, Hawkmoth! I am at a complete loss! I've tried fighting her, I've tried NOT fighting her, I've tried keeping her from fighting at all. Nothing stops her."

Hawkmoth raised his hand to his chin, pondering his response. "I'm trying to come to terms with this. I have given you the power to bend reality at your whim, to create anything tangible your mind can imagine, as long as you do it in pink. I've granted you energies that can stop enemies in their tracks, drain their minds and fuel your own. The earth and air themselves are your modeling clay... and a little girl with claws has you running terrified."

"Yes, SHE DOES. You've seen her! If she's so trivial to defeat, why don't YOU try your luck?" yelled Psiphon, with her last ounce of defiance.

The energy signature suddenly crackled brighter, and Psiphon made an "urk!" sound.

"I think I will!" smiled Hawkmoth, mixed with a grimace. "Controlling a villain from afar is... taxing for me... but it is within my capabilities. Now, let us see what your might can accomplish when it's not coupled with a fear of death. After all..." he grinned, "it's not MY body at risk!"

* * *

Chat Noir and Tigresse soon found Psiphon standing defiantly in the middle of the Avenue Montaigne, waiting for them. Chat noted the visible energy on Psiphon's face, calling out, "Looks like Hawkmoth's giving Psiphon a pep talk!"

A pink hand reached out, grabbed a pair of nearby cars and hurled them straight at the heroes. Dodging them narrowly, Tigresse answered, "He seems to be quite the motivational speaker!"

She leapt away from an energy whip, only to be caught by a telekinetic shove and launched upwards. Two more columns rapidly propelled her further off the ground, then a gigantic pink paddle swept around and connected solidly, launching Tigresse several city blocks away!

"TIGRESSE!" Chat yelled, then turned his attention back to Psiphon. "You're going to regret that," he challenged her. "If you think SHE's the only dangerous one..."

Another pink whip lashed out and grabbed Chat's legs, followed by an energy tendril surrounding his head. As Chat wriggled in pain, Psiphon sneered, "On the contrary, Chat Noir! You have been a thorn in my side for far too long for me to discount you as an opponent."

What thoughts Chat had remaining made the connection; t _he energy signature isn't going away!_ "H-hawkmoth? You're controlling her directly?" he gasped.

"Precisely," Psiphon grinned. "It's the best way I can think of to keep her from running away. Now, while I have your attention - and your mind..."

The energy around Chat's head intensified. He felt his mind going blank... and his limbs drooping limply.

A dark blur approached them at high speed. Psiphon tracked her movement, anticipated her leap, and called out, "By the time you reach me, your partner will be little more than an empty husk..."

As Tigresse hurtled through the air, Psiphon erected a solid pink wall in her path, intending for Tigresse to splatter herself against it...

...only for Tigresse to respond with the speed of thought, curling into a whirling ball of claws that shattered it with ease.

"GAH!" Hawkmoth recoiled, as did the pink body his mind was inhabiting; the bindings holding Chat Noir dissolved with his concentration. "Psiphon's right about one thing - that psychic feedback DOES hurt! No matter..."

Tigresse moved closer, taking a diagonal path towards the villain, when a large telekinetic claw grabbed at her from behind. She rolled out of the way instantly, its pincers closing inches short of her back. "Cats are hard to trap the same way twice," she shouted. "Chat, are you okay?"

She saw Chat slowly regain his footing. "Yeah, a little woozy... but I've got this."

As inobviously as she could, she tapped the pocket on her costume where Tikki was hiding. "This is getting too dangerous. Should I make my move?" she asked her Kwami.

"I trust your judgment," Tikki replied, closing her eyes and concentrating. "I'm ready."

The possessed Psiphon gestured, and a row of pink cannons appeared before her, pink drones flying above them with some kind of missile launchers dangling underneath. "You have no idea what you are dealing with here, girl," she snarled.

"Funny, that... I was just going to say the same thing. Tikki... SPOTS ON!"

* * *

The white flash of her transformation to Ladybug was nothing new to Marinette. This, however... this was something special.

She felt waves of overpowering energy coursing through her body, with a light brighter than anything she'd ever seen around her... yet somehow her eyes remained open and focused. Tikki's consciousness joined her own... and Feliss's. Marinette could see what Master Fu meant; fitting three minds, however ethereally, inside one body was excruciating from the beginning. Physically, however, she felt stronger than she ever had in her life, at least for the moment! Ladybug's agility and flexibility coupled with Tigresse's power and speed... she could take on an army. She WAS an army.

She looked down at herself; the darker portions of Tigresse's costume had become bright red, and her facial features were less concealed now. Some of the smaller stripes became spots; others remained stripes, leaving no doubt that she was still a tigress at heart. Her yo-yo sprang into existence at her hip, but her claws shined just as brightly. A faint glow surrounded her at all times, broadcasting her sheer power to all witnesses... perhaps indicating that she was no longer quite something of this world.

The Scarlet Tiger struck a defiant stance, claws out, eyes bright... and both Chat Noir and Hawkmoth held their breath.

* * *

The possessed Psiphon stared in disbelief; Hawkmoth lunged forward, involuntarily. "LADYBUG? She was in there _all along?_ You have got to be KIDDING ME!"

"Chat, give me an opening! We're ending this now," she yelled... with a resonant echo in her voice that he'd never heard before.

"On it, my lady!" he replied. "CATACLYSM!"

The black energy pulsed in his right palm as he dodged beneath pink cannonfire, then dove along the row of weapons, dissolving them all with one long swipe!

 _DO IT_ , a little voice in Scarlet Tiger's head yelled. _I'm pumping every bit of energy I can into Tikki, but it won't last!_

She held her hand aloft, crying out, "LUCKY CHARM!"

The energies swirled above her outstretched palm, and coalesced into...

"...A megaphone!"

It was red, extremely sturdy and heavy... and for once, Marinette knew precisely what it was for at first glance.

"Have you ever been to China, Hawkmoth?" she quipped, launching herself forward. "You're about to visit there... VIA SUBTERRANEAN TUNNEL!"

Too quickly for Psiphon to react, Scarlet Tiger swept her legs out from under her, and Psiphon fell to the ground on her back. She looked up and saw an unearthly vision standing directly over her, a megaphone pointed directly at her fallen form, and a voice ringing out through it...

"TIGERRRRRRRRRRRR'S ROAAAAAAAAAA-"

* * *

Abruptly, the energy signature blipped out, leaving a confused Psiphon behind with very wide eyes.

She took in the situation just above her... then cowered in a ball, with her hands over her head. "I GIVE!" she screamed. "PLEASE don't hurt me..."

Scarlet Tiger sat the megaphone down, reached out with her claws... and whispered, "I wouldn't dream of it," softly.

She swept her claws gently over Psiphon's armor, splitting it down the middle. As it broke open, a purple butterfly escaped and gently began wafting its way along the nearest breeze.

The yo-yo at Scarlet Tiger's hip was like an old friend, returned from a long trip away. "Time to de-evilize!" she called, snagging the butterfly with a practiced flick of her wrist...

"Gotcha!"

A little voice in her head called out as the purified Akuma fluttered away. _Don't hesitate, now... Tikki is still weak!_

She took the megaphone and hurled it upwards, calling out, "MIRACULOUS... LADYBUG!", and the magic did its work... and, at long last, the world regained a semblance of its natural order.

* * *

Sinking to her knees, suddenly exhausted, Scarlet Tiger whispered, "Spots off!", freeing Tikki from the transformation and returning to Tigresse's form. She watched Tikki float a few feet forward with her arms outstretched, her eyes closed, drinking in waves of pink energy from her surroundings in all directions, and heard a loud "Ahhhhhhhh..." from her. When she turned around again to face Tigresse, she looked much more like the Tikki of old.

"WE DID IT! Come here!" beckoned Tigresse, pulling Tikki in for a big hug. "Chat, you're good?"

"Better than ever," he smiled, seeing that they'd won the day.

Tigresse knelt down beside the detransformed Abby. "And how are you?" she asked, softly. "I was so worried about you, Abby."

Abby's eyes were full of tears. "Thank you so much," she sniffled. "It was like one long waking nightmare, what little I remember of it, but it's fading fast."

The young women hugged tightly, and Tigresse found her own eyes watering. "We're going to find a way to make this all up to you, I promise," Tigresse whispered. "I don't know how, exactly, but we will."

"For starters, you can buy me some new pillows," Abby giggled, watching the Miraculous Ladybug magic wipe away the last few torn shreds of fluff all around them.

* * *

Hawkmoth felt the defeat of his villainous proxy... without any surprise on his part. If he was surprised at all, it was that the tiger girl had shown mercy and restraint in the end.

"I did suspect she could have been bluffing, deep down... but not enough to risk a life over it," he mused. "Especially my own! But this whole saga has given me a great deal to think about. Yet another new Miraculous is now in play, showing me that the Guardian was forced to tap into his reserves, and that I _had_ found a way to weaken Ladybug. Who, apparently, has quite a mean streak tucked away inside!"

"Ladybug herself not only has access to other Miraculouses besides Chat Noir's and Rena Rouge's, but can combine them as well! Which makes me wonder... what would happen if I combined a second Miraculous _with my own?_ What devils and horrors might I create?"

"Ah, but that is all fodder for another day. Right now, I have a headache that no amount of ibuprofen will cure..."

The observation window in his lair closed, as usual, darkening both Hawkmoth's surroundings and his mood.

* * *

The heroes brought Abby home as quickly as they could, and she marveled at how things there looked normal again. "This is unreal! My place had to have been trashed by everything that went on, but it looks good as new now!" she bubbled.

"The magic of Miraculous Ladybug is pretty thorough," Tigresse agreed. "What happened to your paintings?"

"Oh! Let me see," she exclaimed, running to her studio room. As Tigresse and Chat followed, they heard Abby let out a surprised "Huh!"

"What's wrong, Abby?" asked Tigresse.

"Well... the paintings and drawings that I did as Psiphon... they're gone! The magic must've wiped them out when it reset all the other things Psiphon had done." She looked around the studio, frantically. "Most of the ones that I'd drawn from Psiphon's stolen memories when I was Abby are gone, too. I think... this might be the only one of those left."

She held up the pencil drawing of Marinette about to be kissed by Adrien, making both heroes backpedal a little bit. "Hmmm!" Chat smiled. "Looks like someone had something on her mind when Psiphon drained her..."

"Chat Noir... that one came out of YOUR mind, not mine," Tigresse grinned.

"It DID? Uh... Well, I won't say I _hadn't_ thought about that. I... WAIT A MINUTE! THAT'S how you knew, wasn't it?" Chat exclaimed.

"Mmm-hmmm," Tigresse smiled, brightly. "I tried so hard to not know that night, and then an hour later, there it was right in front of me, in black and white..."

"You two are SO cute together," beamed Abby. The light went on over her head abruptly, and she looked back at the picture, then at the two heroes. "OH MY GOSH!" she panicked, realizing the connection. "I TOTALLY didn't mean to... I didn't know..."

"It's not your fault," Tigresse assured her. "But we will need to ask you to keep that secret, even if you don't have names for those faces. It's _really_ important."

"I kind of do have one name - your face is on posters all over town...," Abby said, gesturing at Adrien, "but I promise, cross my heart! Not one word to anyone."

"Else a tigress may come visit you in the middle of the night, with claws out," added Chat, causing a round of laughter.

"Honestly? I'd like it if you did. Not the claws part, of course," the artist smiled, "but the more I've known you, Tigresse, the more I've liked you. Maybe you can find a way to stop by sometime?"

"I'll try," she replied. "I'd like that, too. And, um... could I have that picture?"

"Wouldn't you rather have the real thing?" grinned Chat, putting his arm around her.

"I _have_ the real thing, and I couldn't be happier," she cooed. "But I can't hang you on my wall."

* * *

After some parting hugs, the heroes left via Abby's window, presumably for the last time for a while.

"I never pictured you as an art collector, Marinette," Chat chuckled.

"I don't know much about art, but I know what I like," Tigresse quipped back.

"So now what do we do?" asked Chat.

"I think we all go back to Master Fu's. There are a whole bunch of decisions to be made..."

* * *

Next time: Our epilogue.

* Who ends up in - or out of - which jewelry boxes, and why?

* What's to be done about Abby, what she's been through, and what she now knows?

* When Master Fu, Feliss, Tikki, Marinette and Adrien all talk together... what may come out of it?

* School tomorrow ought to be... pretty darned interesting, won't it?


	9. In the Forests of the Night

Tyger, Tyger, Burning Bright, Chapter 9: In the Forests of the Night

* * *

Tigresse and Chat Noir landed in back of Master Fu's home, doing their best to remain unobserved. One "Fade out!" and one "Claws in!" later, they were once again normal-appearing students. At least as normal as any students could appear, that is, with three small magical creatures circling around them in mid-air.

"Tikki, how are you doing?" asked Marinette, hopefully. "You look like your old self again!"

"I am!" she beamed. "That first hit I took was as close as I've come to being wiped out in centuries... I'm not used to villains attacking me when you're not transformed! But Miraculous Ladybug brought the rest of me back, and, I have to admit, Feliss backed me up very well just now."

"You backed ME up, you mean," grinned Feliss, as good-naturedly as she could manage. "Seems to me that I did most of the work."

"Girls... you're BOTH pretty," mumbled Plagg, only half-trying to be heard out loud.

Adrien stood slightly back like Plagg was doing, trying not to get directly between Tikki and Feliss. "Have they always been like this?" Adrien asked Plagg, quietly.

"Most of the time, they stay a lot farther apart. Like, on different continents when that's an option," Plagg chuckled. "When they're near each other, look out!"

Marinette did her best to interpose herself between her dueling Kwamis. "Shall we go in and see Master Fu now, everybody?"

"Unless you need another, ah... rest break first," Feliss teased. She smiled at Adrien, who nodded his head subtly towards a certain familiar patch of bushes and flowers, waggling an eyebrow playfully.

"There will be PLENTY of time for that later," Marinette blushed, pulling Adrien towards the door. "We're never going to live that down, are we?" she muttered to him, quietly.

"Nope," all three Kwamis said at once.

* * *

"Come in, come in!" called Master Fu, warmly. "I'm just pouring the tea now. Excellent work by all of you, as always!"

Marinette and Adrien sat down at the table, their hands clasping each other's under the tablecloth. Tikki perched on Marinette's shoulder, almost daring Feliss to come close to HER host; the tiger Kwami shrugged, then plopped down on the opposite edge of the table by Master Fu. Plagg circled around aimlessly, and Wayzz settled in to his right.

"This is quite the gathering, is it not?" the Guardian began. "Four Kwamis and three Miraculous hosts together! I cannot remember the last time we had so many active in one place. I do not usually do, how would you put it, 'debriefings'... but since this has been such a chaotic affair, and we are blessed with this much pleasant company, let us enjoy it while we can! I feel like we have a great deal to talk about."

"That's probably quite the understatement," grinned Adrien. "Most of it positive, I hope."

"Certainly, it is mostly good tidings," Master Fu agreed. "To start with, while it was a bumpy ride to get there, the Akuma was purified and Tikki's energies have been restored. Wayzz sensed the combination of your energies from here, and that you then disengaged successfully. Further confirmation of your victory is behind me, which may make you feel a little better..."

He gestured to a shelf behind him, on which Marinette and Adrien saw his runed container, restored via Miraculous Ladybug's magic. "Thank goodness! I felt so bad about breaking that," said a relieved Marinette.

"It is a good last resort to have in reserve... but I do hope that we will not be without Ladybug's abilities often," he smiled. "Tikki being targeted at the beginning was merely bad luck this time, but it was nearly a terrible catastrophe! You are very conscientious regarding your secret identity, Marinette, which helps avoid that situation..."

"She WAS," grumbled Tikki, which got a glare from Master Fu and made Marinette cringe a little.

Undaunted, the old man continued. "But to some degree, from what you have told me, BOTH of your identities were potentially compromised by Psiphon's probes. Defeating her should have erased that, but memories are tricky things, and sometimes wisps and fragments persist, even stolen ones. I will need both of you to be vigilant for a while and make sure that all seems normal in your everyday lives."

Marinette spoke up. "The one remaining wisp Abby mentioned was her drawing of Adrien and myself... and she let me have that, and I'm keeping it in my room. It doesn't show Chat Noir or Ladybug in any way, so it shouldn't raise suspicion in and of itself."

"Good. I will circle back to Abby in a moment," he noted. "Since Tikki was kind enough to raise the issue just now... let us speak of you and Adrien, as I want everyone on the same page as to how things have... changed between you."

* * *

Marinette gulped audibly, but she kept hold of Adrien's hand, and brought it above the tablecloth. "They certainly have," she said, firmly. "Chat Noir and I had our... romantic encounter that I came to talk to you about... and after you and I talked, it all came together unexpectedly. The picture Abby drew made me realize Chat Noir's secret identity, and then when Tikki and Feliss were arguing about me earlier, what they each said made Adrien realize mine. Or at least bring him so close to it that I felt like I had to tell him."

"We most certainly did _not!_ Nothing Feliss or I said should have given... anything..." As she spoke, Tikki replayed the argument in her head... then clapped her hands over her mouth. "AAAAGH! HOW did I let _that_ slip out?" She looked at Feliss with weary eyes. "You are the one thing that makes me this crazy, you know that?" she sighed.

Feliss chuckled, "You were crazy long before I came along, Tikki. But I get dinged on that, too, because I know what I said back to you."

"What's said is said," calmed the Guardian, "and no harm was done. As I had said, Marinette came to me the moment she felt their identities were endangered, and we talked it over... and I made a judgment call. The bonds between our young friends had matured enough to be revealable."

"I can't say that I'm in full agreement, Master," protested Tikki. "Though I did listen to their conversation on the way to Abby's loft, and... I did soften my view, just a bit." She turned to the teenagers and added, "I don't want to sound like I don't trust either of you. I do, completely! But information that's known can sometimes slip out, like _I_ slipped earlier today. You're both going to have to be extremely careful now! I wish it hadn't happened, in a lot of ways... but from what I heard you two say, you are handling it the right way."

"In some ways, it'll actually help us keep our identities secure from everyone else," pointed out Adrien. "We can cover for each other, particularly when we're in school and an Akuma attacks, and we both have to get away."

"And I have to say that knowing that secret explains SO MUCH," giggled Marinette, which got a laugh from Adrien as well.

"I know, right?" Adrien said. "Life will be so much easier, now that I know the two girls I have feelings for are actually one!"

"And YOU can finally relax a little, Tikki, since I won't be spending half my waking hours worrying over how to win Adrien's heart," smiled Marinette. She laughed at the look of wonder that appeared on Adrien's face, and chided him, "Oh, you KNOW that I was."

"I know NOW," replied Adrien. "I wish I had then!"

"We are all aware now, regarding that?" Master Fu asked, sipping his tea. "Adrien and Marinette know about Ladybug and Chat Noir, the secrets will remain hidden beyond that, and an old man gets to watch young love blossom once again, yes?" Getting general assent, and greatly amused at how red his statement made Marinette, he moved on.

* * *

"Let us now discuss Abby, our not-so-fearless artist friend," the old man continued. "Ordinarily, freeing an Akuma from a victim is the end of it, apart from comforting them as appropriate. But when an Akuma plays with memories, and a victim retains even a fraction of them afterwards, this is an unusual circumstance."

"If nothing else, it seems unusual that the Akumatized person isn't someone that Marinette or I knew already," mused Adrien.

"I know! I was beginning to get a complex about that," Marinette burst out. "There ARE unhappy people in Paris outside of our friends and family, right?"

"I... have wondered about that, myself," answered Master Fu. "It could be that the Moth's energies are drawn, unconsciously or not, to those who are near other Miraculouses. Or it is possible that there is another factor at work here." He frowned, unwilling to bring up the subject of Gabriel Agreste just yet; there would be a better time and place for that. "But Abby is not someone well-known to either of you, whom you could keep an eye on easily. How do you think we should proceed?"

"There is one more complication, Master Fu," Adrien piped up. "When she saw Tigresse and Chat Noir together, then looked at the drawing she'd made of Marinette and I..." He gulped, audibly. "...She figured our identities out. She didn't mean to."

"Oh?" This caught Master Fu off guard. "Thank you for telling me that! That changes things considerably."

"It only just happened. She knows my name, from being a public figure; she doesn't know Marinette's yet." Adrien frowned, coming to another realization. "And we have one MORE complication! At one point in our last fight, Hawkmoth was controlling Psiphon directly... and she hit me with one of her mind rays. I'm hoping he was too busy to pay attention to anything that leaked out from it, and that Miraculous Ladybug wiped that out..."

"But that was after you and Marinette had your realizations. I don't like that one bit," muttered the Guardian. "I suspect that you're right, and that your identities slipped right under his nose, unnoticed... but everything I said before about being careful in your everyday lives from now on? That goes triple now."

"This is part of what I was worried about," Tikki added. "Like you said, it can't be helped now... but it's still dangerous information to know."

"And now someone outside our circle also knows." Master Fu scratched his head. "Tell me about Abby, Marinette. What should I know about her?"

* * *

Marinette gathered her thoughts, knowing that much of her new friend's future might depend on what she said now about her. "She's such a gentle soul at heart," she began. "She reminds me a bit of my friend Rose, if Rose was ten years older; a born romantic, a little flighty, a lot emotional. She seems _very_ sweet. She was as concerned about me as I was about her, when we spent time together as Tigresse and Abby. She has a ton of artistic talent, but life hasn't been altogether kind to her... and neither was Hawkmoth."

She laughed to herself, remembering how it was PSIPHON, not Abby, who first built Fort Fluffington. "She was NOT cut out for villainy; her heart just wasn't in it. Which was really good, because with her powers and her creativity, she probably _sh_ _ould_ have wiped the floor with us... I mean, the Akuma made her wicked and villainous on the surface, but it didn't take much for a 'Please don't make me do this, please don't hurt me' Abby to peek out from underneath. I don't know that I've ever seen a transformed victim be reluctant like that!"

"Of course, we've never thrown a savage tiger girl at one before, either," smiled Adrien.

"Interesting," mused the old man. He nodded for Marinette to continue.

"She and I hit it off almost instantly," smiled Marinette. "Psiphon might not have been fond of Tigresse, but Abby sure was! She said she'd love to see me again after all of this is settled. I told her I couldn't promise that, but if I could find a way, I would. Even just as friend-to-friend, artist-to-artist, I feel like I could learn a lot from her. But now I'm not sure what I should do... she knows Tigresse's real face. I don't know if she made the connection between Scarlet Tiger and Ladybug or not, or if she even remembers seeing Scarlet Tiger! It's a small risk, but she could end up knowing Ladybug's real name AND face."

"A small risk, but a tangible one," agreed Master Fu. "Adrien, your thoughts?"

"I only got to meet her as Abby for a few minutes," Adrien replied. "I agree with Marinette that I liked her instantly, but I really _don't_ know her very well. Since she now knows who Chat Noir is behind the mask... does that mean I should try to get closer to keep watch over her, or to stay away from her?"

"A good question," Master Fu said. "Feliss... what did you make of Abby? You're the other one who's spent any time in her presence, at least while looking through Tigresse's eyes."

"It's funny that Marinette said that Abby reminded her of Rose, because Abby reminded ME of Marinette, to some degree," smiled Feliss. "At least what Marinette was like when we first met, before I could work my magic over her..." Feliss caught sight of Tikki's face contorting at that last part, grinned, and kept going. "Sweet, gentle and caring, I agree. A tad unsure of herself, but doing the best she can with what life's given her. Of course, we met her at a low point in her life; she may be much more confident in better times, and without an Akuma warping her brain. And ANYTHING would be more confident than she was as Psiphon."

"I wonder why?" quipped Plagg, wryly. "SOMEONE made scaring the living crap out of Psiphon a full-time job."

"It worked, didn't it?" smirked Feliss. "I had her beaten before Tigresse even laid a finger on her, so that Tigresse didn't have to lay a _claw_ on her." She turned to Master Fu with a wicked grin. "Maybe I should spend some time with Abby, one-on-one... see what I can make out of her."

"There is a word that comes to mind. The word is 'aneurysm,'" laughed Master Fu. "I have a feeling that you would have her crawling out of her skin to get away, Feliss. And yet... like it or not... we still find Abby within our circle of trust now, and we must treat her accordingly and with respect. We cannot un-ring that particular identity bell." He rubbed his chin, absently. "So what _are_ we to do with her?"

Abruptly, he grinned. "I have an idea," he said. "I will need your help and your judgment, Marinette, and I think you might enjoy this."

He explained, briefly, what he had in mind. Tikki's eyes widened with mild surprise, and Marinette's with excitement...

* * *

"And that leaves us with one other elephant in the room. Or rather, tigress in the room," Master Fu ventured. "We have one host with two Kwamis, which is not unprecedented... except that these two cannot stand each other's presence."

Tikki and Feliss stared at each other, then both turned away in a huff. "For a short time, I can handle it. Indefinitely? Not a chance," Tikki snapped.

"I'm more annoyed by her than offended... but the feeling is mutual," replied Feliss. "Which leaves us at an impasse. And while I have enjoyed my time with you, Marinette, and I know that I've been a good influence on you..."

"Hmmph!" snorted Tikki, derisively.

"...there is the simple fact that with a corrupt Moth Miraculous out there, this world dearly _needs_ a Ladybug. And I can't provide that," Feliss said, in a resigned voice. "I understand that completely... which means that my options are very limited."

Marinette leaned down next to Feliss. "I'll be totally honest here, Feliss... you haven't been in my life for long, but you _have_ made a very big difference in it." She smiled up at Adrien and reached out for his hand, which he extended to her. "Right here is proof of that, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me find the courage to make it happen."

"It was my pleasure... and now yours and his, as well," said Feliss. "...But?"

"...But, yes, I do have that responsibility to be Ladybug," continued Marinette, with downcast eyes. "I don't know what to do."

"What you must," Feliss answered, leaning forward and rubbing her head against Marinette's, gently. "I'm fine with that, I promise." She turned and asked, "Adrien? Are you up for a second cat around the house?"

Adrien looked at Feliss... then at Plagg, behind her, who was shaking his head side-to-side with his jaw hanging down. "I don't... know if..." he stammered.

"I know you're back there, Plagg," smiled Feliss, without turning. "I groom someone just ONCE while he's sleeping..."

"It goes a little deeper than that, but yeah, that was on my list," Plagg replied. "Sorry!"

"And I'm not even going to ask Wayzz," she continued, "because I can see him sweating from here."

"Kwamis can sweat?" asked Adrien, looking surprised.

"When properly motivated," muttered Wayzz, looking a lighter green than usual.

Feliss sighed. "That settles it, then. It's not like I haven't slept for a few decades before..."

Master Fu leaned over and picked her up, and she turned to face him. "Not quite yet, little tiger. Let me ponder this a little longer," he consoled her. "It would not be much of a reward for a job well done."

"Is there something you'd like to do in the meantime, Feliss?" Marinette asked. "Anywhere I can take you, or anything I can bring you?"

"For now? Transform with me, one more time, please," asked Feliss.

"Sure. Feliss, BURN BRIGHT!" Marinette called out.

* * *

Once transformed, Tigresse listened to her inner voice, then said, "We'll be back shortly, okay?" to those present. "Tikki, you may want to stay here."

"I will, thanks," Tikki replied, happy that Feliss was leaving but not with whom. "Please be careful!"

Tigresse gave Adrien a quick peck on the cheek, told him "Love you" with a big smile, then darted out the back door.

Adrien closed his eyes and smiled, touching his cheek. _That's something I'll never get tired of_ , he thought. _Those still tingle._ He turned to Tikki, who gave him a look he couldn't quite place.

"I have to admit, Tikki... this feels a little strange. We're only just now meeting face-to-face, but I feel like we've known each other intimately for months," he began. "And it's hard to shake the notion that you still don't approve of us meeting in person."

He saw Master Fu cock an ear in their direction, but remain in the background, content to merely observe for now.

"It is a little strange, yes," answered Tikki. "And I'm sure you know that I approve completely of you, and of what you do as Chat Noir; Ladybug couldn't possibly ask for a better partner! But it's also pretty jarring when I'm away for a few days, and when I come back, everything I've tried to balance about your identities and how they interact got thrown _right out the window,_ because SOMEONE felt like interfering."

Adrien frowned. "Tikki... I don't want to overstep, or make a bad first one-on-one impression... but I really don't think that's fair of you to say. If we're going to work together more closely... and, obviously, now we are... we need to be honest with each other. Can I tell you why I think that?"

Tikki started to say something... then closed her mouth, and nodded for him to continue.

* * *

Tigresse closed the back door to Master Fu's, then thought, _How should we begin? What do you want to do first, Feliss?_

 _Run. Just run with me,_ Feliss thought back. _I don't care where. I just want to feel the ground under your feet and the wind in your hair right now, while I still can._

 _Done,_ Tigresse smiled, and leapt off in the direction of a nearby park. _Let's explore a little nature and talk things out._

She let her imagination go and her inner cat out, so to speak; darting through bushes, romping down paths, enjoying the startled expressions on the faces of birds and squirrels she encountered. _I'll admit, this is fun,_ Tigresse thought; _as Ladybug, it's very rare that I get a chance to just go out and play. To just... be._

 _You should do that more often, child,_ thought Feliss. _If I have any wisdom to pass on to you at all, it's that being Ladybug is important, but being Marinette is just as important. In many ways, far more so._

As she ran, Tigresse heard a chuckle from Feliss inside her head. _I thank you for indulging me in this, by the way. You're not afraid that the big bad tiger's going to seize your mind and body and run wild?_

 _Should I be?_ answered Tigresse, thoughtfully. _To be honest,_ _I don't think so. We've had our differences, but I've learned some things about you, Feliss; you don't ask forgiveness OR permission, but you do what you do for good reasons. The more I think back, I feel more guided than controlled or shoved, if you know what I mean. I'm not afraid of you the way I once was._

She added, with an internal giggle, _Not that I'm not still watching you, though... turning your back on a tiger is rarely a good idea. Even if it's a friendly tiger._

Feliss laughed. _Smart girl... but I knew that about you from the beginning._

Tigresse crouched down, watching a sparrow on a nearby tree limb. _I bet we can catch that bird in one leap,_ she thought, and prepared to pounce.

 _Don't forget the butt-wiggle. Every cat knows that it's vital to a proper pounce,_ advised Feliss. _If you'd wiggled yours at Adrien more, you might not have needed my help!_

Tigresse burst out laughing, loudly, causing the bird to fly away. _Maybe I didn't think I had a butt he'd look at, even if I had wiggled it!_

* * *

Adrien measured his words carefully. _This is a millennia-old source of wisdom I'm talking to... but this is important for me to get out, I think._

"Now that I know... what I know about us, and what Marinette has told me... I don't know that I'd agree that Feliss really 'interfered' much at all. And where she did, I'm GLAD she did," he began. "Because she said and did a lot of things, and she certainly guided Marinette down a different path... but she never lied to either of us."

"Are you suggesting that I _did_?" asked Tikki, guardedly.

"No! That's not what I mean at all," Adrien backpedaled. "But there were truths that were hidden, important truths, that might have stayed buried much longer without her encouragement. She didn't change how Marinette felt about me, for instance, but she definitely helped Marinette open my eyes about that, and I needed that badly! Marinette's been a very good friend to me since the second day we met, one of the first real friends I've had. But there was always something... awkward beneath the surface there, something I just couldn't figure out, and that bothered me a lot. I was hurting her, and I didn't understand how, and that hurt me, too."

Adrien took a breath. "And it made me think harder about my huge crush on Ladybug... which I'm amazed that you never _told her_ about!"

"That was never my secret to tell," Tikki insisted. "You told Ladybug yourself, as Chat Noir, and she did the right thing then on her own."

"She did," agreed Adrien, "but she did that working from the best information she had then, and that was badly incomplete. I didn't expect her to yell 'Spots off!' and fall into my arms that night as herself, Tikki, but once you knew that Chat Noir was sincere about her... you knew that Adrien was sincere about her, too."

"That you were sincere about Ladybug... I didn't know if you were about Marinette," said Tikki.

"But is there a real difference? I'm not sure that there is," persisted Adrien. "Ladybug _is_ Marinette, just behind a mask, acting with more confidence and passion. I know that now! I know that the girl I fell for was right in front of me all along, and I couldn't see that somehow! All the things that Ladybug did that won me over... I can look back at them now and see Marinette's personality in every one of them, now that I don't have spots in my eyes."

He continued, "And I don't know if you encouraged Marinette to act with Ladybug's confidence or not when it came to me, Tikki, or how much you did that... But I know that Feliss absolutely did. She told her, 'He'll be blind about you until you act... so act, already!' And when she did, that really made me rethink how I felt about Marinette in BOTH my identities. Even if Abby hadn't drawn that picture or you and Feliss hadn't said what you did... we were already growing much closer. Feliss didn't shove Marinette and I together; she nudged us to admit to ourselves what both of us were already feeling."

Adrien watched Tikki process what he was saying. "And did that cross some identity boundaries? It did. It made me start to see how Marinette, when she was more confident and forward with Chat Noir, reminded me so much of what I loved about Ladybug. I think it helped Marinette see more of Adrien in Chat. And before we knew it, Chat and Marinette were kissing. But you know what caused that? It wasn't Feliss controlling her or making her do it. _I_ started that. The first time was to break Feliss's rage-state and try to bring Marinette back. That one wasn't all about romance; it had a purpose, and we talked out why it happened and were both fine with it."

"But the romance came very soon after," he continued. "When Marinette found the nerve to tell Chat more about who she was in love with, and I realized that _he_ was really _me!_ And I made sure that she transformed back first, to be completely sure that her reactions would be her own... and then I shared my real feelings, my real self with her, as much as I could, as much as she'd let me then."

"And I still say that shouldn't have happened," said Tikki, slowly. "But I'm running out of reasons to say why it shouldn't have."

* * *

 _Can I ask you something, Feliss?_ asked Tigresse, delicately. _It's kind of personal._

 _Go ahead, child,_ the Kwami answered. _I wouldn't lie to you._

 _Plagg and Wayzz are skittish around you, and with what I've learned about you, I can see why,_ giggled Tigresse. _But Tikki seems to go far beyond that; she REALLY doesn't like you. Do you know why that is, and can you tell me?_

The initial response was silence.

 _If it's something very delicate, you don't have to..._ Tigresse ventured.

 _It's fine,_ said Feliss. _Long ago... there was an incident. It was a very different time and place, over a thousand years ago. Suffice it to say that someone died who should not have, and Tikki and I both felt much grief over that, and still do. Then someone else died, very soon after... and Tikki and I have been bitterly divided ever since._

Feliss sighed. _Was_ _what happened justice? Was it simple, bloody vengeance? Was it murder? Was it justifiable? She and I will argue that until the end of time. Tikki seems to feel that because I acted once in a certain way... that I will always act in that certain way. That I cannot learn from my actions, whether I consider them mistaken or not. And that I am doomed to repeat them with someone about whom she cares deeply._

 _I... see,_ Tigresse said. _That does explain why some feelings run deep._

 _Tikki is also highly protective of you, Marinette... and she ought to be! You are a rare gem,_ added Feliss. _You are a perfect fit for Ladybug; gentle and compassionate at heart, but fierce when you need to be._ _I don't want to turn you into... well, me! There's no such darkness in your soul. But you have needs outside of being Ladybug, and my biggest goal was to help you grow and reach out for those! It bothered me so much that your boy loved Ladybug, but he couldn't see the same greatness in Marinette... and that you were reluctant to smack him in the face with it so that he'd see it._

Tigresse sat down, abruptly, a touch overwhelmed.

 _Are you all right, child?_ asked Feliss.

 _You have a sweet side to you, Feliss, whether you admit it or not,_ Tigresse thought, smiling inside. _You got to me just now._

 _Not many are allowed to see it,_ the Kwami grinned. _I have a reputation to uphold._

* * *

Tikki took her own deep breath. "Understand, Adrien, that I never tried to keep you and Marinette _apart._ I've seen your feelings for each other up close, and I agree with Master Fu, who is TOTALLY LISTENING IN right now, that you're made for each other."

A chuckle from behind her confirmed Tikki's suspicions, but he said nothing beyond that.

"And now that you know about her true feelings, I can say out loud that she's been pining away for you for a very, very long time. All those pictures of you on her wall weren't just because she's very into fashion," she added, with a little smirk. "But knowing what you know now complicates things so much, and I've been so afraid of that for a long time, too. But I'll admit that not all of the things it changes are necessarily bad."

Tikki weighed many possibilities in her head. "Like, remember the confrontation with Volpina, where she made an illusion of you in danger? Ladybug's feelings for you almost made her give up her Miraculous, Adrien... but if she'd known you were Chat Noir, she'd have seen right through it! And she was already very protective of you as Chat AND as Adrien, so that won't really change much..."

"If you're worried that I'll act differently around Ladybug because I'm in love with her... I already was," Adrien grinned. "Now I just have a better understanding of it."

"And it can't be helped, anyway. You know what you know, and you love who you love. Just... try not to get brainwashed or Akumatized, okay? That's a secret we can't let anyone pluck out of your brain. Psiphon nearly _literally_ drew a picture of that for Hawkmoth," shuddered Tikki.

"We'll be as careful as we can, I promise. I will not let anything happen to Marinette OR to Ladybug... Are we good, Tikki?" asked Adrien.

"We are." Tikki flew over and snuggled up against Adrien, saying, "First time I've gotten to do this... Be good to her, okay? I'll be watching."

"Absolutely," Adrien replied, hugging her back. "If you know me at all, you know I will."

They heard the back door open, and a familiar voice called out, "Wow! I leave for just a little while and he's already hugging another woman!"

Tikki mock-growled in response, "Adrien, our secret's out at last! I kept Marinette away from you so I could have you all for myself!"

Plagg opened his mouth and raised a tiny finger... then turned around. "Nope, nope, nope," was all they heard as he left the room.

* * *

"Are you ready for the errand I mentioned, Marinette?" asked Master Fu, to which Tigresse nodded enthusiastically.

"Tikki, are you coming with me for this? I'd like your input, too," she asked, to which Tikki floated back into one of Tigresse's pockets. Tigresse squeezed Adrien's hand and added, "Text me later?"

"Absolutely. We have school tomorrow to plan," he grinned.

With a wave, Tigresse headed out the back door towards her destination.

* * *

Abby Christophe sat in her loft, motionless. Her sketchpads and canvas also sat in her loft, motionless. This time, however, many of the sketchpads weren't motionless to mock Abby with their emptiness... because they were full.

Abby wiped her brow, happily, exhausted from her efforts. A knock at her door got her attention, and she answered it... only to find a dark-haired schoolgirl waiting for her.

"Can I help you?" Abby asked, a little confused. "I feel like I know you from... OH! Come in, come in, come in!" she bubbled, pulling Marinette inside and into a hug. "I'm so glad you came to see me!"

"Well, I checked on you with my whiskers on, so I thought I'd check on you without," smiled Marinette. "How have you been doing?"

"Great, actually! My mind has been FULL of ideas. Come and see!" She motioned Marinette into her studio room, where Marinette marveled at the many new sketches scattered all around.

"Wow! Did you draw all these that quickly?" Marinette boggled. "We just brought you home a couple of hours ago!"

"Oh, they're just very rough pencil sketches, putting down ideas. It'll take a lot longer to do any of them justice," Abby replied, "But yes! For some reason, spending time with the cutest cat couple ever gave me tons of inspiration; these are just FLYING out of me! I think I'm set for ideas for months!"

One group was setting up a whimsical series involving a cat cafe, full of domestic cats but operated by a pair of suspiciously familiar feline heroes. There were concept pieces for other animal-themed figures, both heroic and villainous, based on a wide variety of other creatures. (The Platypus made Marinette laugh out loud.) There were a series of profile portraits of Chat Noir, increasingly serious and pensive in expression, and some of Tigresse varying from slinky and sinister to adorably cute.

"These are _really_ good, Abby!" Marinette gushed. "I can see where you're going with a lot of these, and you're giving ME good drawing ideas too!"

"Really? I'd love to see some of your drawings... um..." Abby replied.

"Marinette. My name is Marinette," she smiled, warmly. "I don't mind telling you that now. I'll bring one of my sketchbooks next time! I'd love to get a professional's input on them."

"Calling me a professional is a stretch, honey. I'm just a little older," grinned Abby.

"Seriously, though! I love these, especially the cute ones and this one of Chat. Did you do any of Ladybug?" she asked.

"Not yet! I haven't actually met Ladybug yet, I don't think, though I see her on TV all the time," said Abby. "She must've been there when I was de-Akumatized, but right after that is kind of a blur for me. The first thing I remember after I was freed was Tigresse leaning over me, checking on me."

"Good to know." _It really is._ "And no drawings of the dark, golden-eyed terror whose claws filled your alter ego with fear?" teased Marinette.

Abby backed away, mock-terrified. "Oh, heck no! I'm not sure my nerves could survive another encounter with that version of you. No offense!" she laughed.

A little voice piped up, "How about with the real thing?"

* * *

Abby stood very still. "Who... SAID that?" she asked.

Feliss floated out of Marinette's purse, slowly, so as not to scare her. "Abby, right? My name is Feliss, and I am the spirit that powers Tigresse. I am very pleased to meet you at last, and I apologize for what I may have done to your dreams recently."

Abby stared at Feliss, transfixed with wonder. "You're... real?" she said, quietly, working up the nerve to touch her lightly.

"She is," Marinette confirmed. "Every Miraculous comes with a guiding spirit, and Feliss is the Tiger's."

"I see!" marveled Abby, allowing Feliss to land on her outstretched hand, only trembling a little. "So _you're_ the one who offered to cut off my head, or so I'm told?"

"If it will make you feel better, it wasn't an entirely serious offer," chuckled Feliss. "I wouldn't have any place to keep it if I had it."

"This is why we don't let her do television interviews," deadpanned Marinette.

"You are... I've never seen anything like you!" Abby said, viewing Feliss from several angles. "Is it okay if I use you in my drawings, Feliss? I can see... yes, that's a possibility... you could work in this one..."

"Perhaps with some minor alterations. There are certain people who know what we spirits are, and you wouldn't want them knocking on your door, asking how you know about them," Feliss explained. "Other than that, I would be honored!"

"Oh! Speaking of that, I had one other strange visitor today!" said Abby, abruptly. "I don't know if she's related to your... benefactor or not, but a woman came here asking about my art and if I had projects related to Ladybug or Chat Noir! It struck me odd, like... how would she have had any idea about that?"

"REALLY... could you describe her?" asked Marinette, coming to full attention.

"Thin, professional looking. Short hair, one lock hanging down. Glasses. Pretty normal-looking, really. She said she worked for someone who collected that kind of thing. She gave me the creeps, a little bit, so I told her I didn't have anything like that at the moment; she said 'thank you' and left quietly."

Feliss floated over to comment on one of the more complete drawings, and Abby followed her. Very quietly, Marinette tapped at one of her pockets. "What do you think?" she whispered.

"She gets my vote," Tikki whispered back. "She gives me a really good feeling, she's not a liability for Ladybug, and she knows creeps when she sees them."

"All right, then..." Marinette whispered, then stepped back to a nearby desk and fiddled with something behind her back for a moment. Returning to where she had been in the room, she called out, "Hey, Feliss? We do have to get going... Abby, I'm so glad things are going better for you now! Is there anything I can do for you?"

"Just bring your sketchbook next time," Abby grinned. "I'd love to see what you've drawn, and maybe we can go out and work on something together! You will come back and see me, right?"

"Oh, I think we'll be seeing a lot more of each other," giggled Marinette, as she and Feliss gave out goodbye hugs.

* * *

Marinette waltzed through the front door of her parents' bakery, catching the attention of her mother, who was tidying up one of the displays.

"Hi, dear!" Sabine called to her. "Is everything all right? We saw the Akuma alert on the news, and we were a little worried when you were late coming home from school."

"Everything in this world is PERFECT," beamed Marinette, her eyes joining her feet in dancing with joy.

"Uh-oh," her mother grinned. "Can I take a guess?"

"I HAVE MY ADRIEN!" squealed Marinette, unable to hold it in any longer. "I'm his girlfriend now! For real!"

"That is WONDERFUL, Marinette!" Sabine looked delighted for her. "I kind of had a hunch after the other day that it was about to happen, but I didn't want to jinx it!"

"I didn't mean to make you worry, but I think you can understand why I was occupied," she grinned.

"Listen, dinner should be coming out of the oven in about thirty minutes. I don't think an _army_ could keep you from telling us what happened, so give us the story then, okay? I know your father'll want to hear all about it," her mother added. "Except maybe the kissing parts. We'll keep those between us."

"Will do," Marinette smiled, and headed upstairs to get ready.

* * *

"So! My daughter's finally landed her fish, hmmm?" boomed Tom, as his daughter came into the dining room. "Congratulations, honey!"

"Thank you, Dad!" Marinette gave him a quick hug. "Not just a fish, but the white whale himself! I caught my Adrien."

"Well! I'm really going to have to up my game now, I suppose, now that we'll have a handsome celebrity in our midst..."

Sabine chuckled, "Celebrity might be going a little far. People know his face, but he's not Jagged Stone or someone like that."

"Jagged was my second choice," Marinette deadpanned, then broke out in giggles at her father's reaction. "No, Adrien is _super_ down-to-earth. His family may have money and name recognition, but that doesn't affect him one bit. We joke that he's learning to be normal, not showing off."

"Have you met his parents yet, dear?" asked Sabine.

"...Kind of? Not since we made it official, since that just happened. I've met Mr. Agreste briefly a couple of times; he seemed... busy, a private kind of guy, but pretty decent. His mother has been, well, missing for a while; Adrien doesn't talk much about it."

"Missing?" wondered Tom.

"I don't know all about it yet, myself," Marinette explained. "Adrien's said that his father became very distant once whatever happened, happened... they haven't quite been the same since, but they're doing the best they can."

"Hmmmph! That's a real shame," her father replied. "We'd love to get to know Adrien better sometime, if you'd like that."

"Sure!" said Marinette, brightly. "He's been here a few times; once when we were practicing for that gaming tournament, and he comes to the store sometimes..." _And occasionally visits in a cat mask up on my balcony..._ "I'm sure you'd really like him! Probably a father's dream for his little girl; clean-cut, polite, sensitive. No tattoos, no motorcycle, no goatee, no piercings, no weird haircut you'd have to explain to the neighbors."

"And he's cute, too," Sabine added.

"So far beyond cute that it's not even funny," breathed Marinette, making her mother laugh.

"How about dinner some night? See if he'd like to come over, let us know what he'd like to eat, and we'll do the rest," Sabine smiled. "We promise to behave. Or at least I will, and I'll glare at your father if he doesn't."

"I will run that by him," Marinette replied. "You'll be the first to know."

* * *

As she reentered her room after dinner, Marinette watched as Tikki and Feliss wordlessly divided the space in two, with an invisible line neither would cross.

"You two will survive the night, right?" asked Marinette. "I'm not going to wake up and find little red or purple bits on the floor?"

"I'm willing to be civilized," Tikki conceded, and Feliss nodded her agreement.

"Remember that you both agreed to that! If I wake up to a Kwami slapfight in the middle of the night, we will have _words._ It's a school night," Marinette grinned as she pulled out her phone, waiting for Adrien's promised text messages.

She didn't have very long to wait.

 **[Adrien]** **You know, tonight is going to be a very new experience for me.**

 **[Marinette] And why is that?**

 **[Adrien] I've never gone to sleep knowing I have a girlfriend before.**

 _Ohhhhh..._

 **[Marinette] You just gave me ALL the shivers, Mister.**

 **[Marinette] Say it again for me?**

 **[Adrien] That you're my girlfriend? :)**

 **[Marinette] Even better! /3**

 **[Marinette] "A girlfriend" could've been someone you met on the way home.**

 **[Adrien] You know so much better than that, I hope.**

 **[Marinette] I do! I just love reading it. Still think I might be dreaming.**

 **[Adrien] I could come curl up and check tonight, if you want? Listen for three knocks and a meow at your balcony.**

 **[Marinette] Do NOT give me these ideas!**

 **[Adrien] Or I could leave my window open and see who comes through it...**

 **[Marinette] DO NOT give me these ideas! I still have a delightfully bad influence here who might help!**

 **[Adrien] Oh, they're both still with you?**

 **[Marinette] They are. Think I have a solution, if you-know-who approves.**

 **[Marinette] Will run it by him tomorrow.**

 **[Adrien] Speaking of tomorrow... how may I show you off at school?**

 **[Adrien] I think we're going to blow some minds.**

 **[Marinette] You have NO IDEA, honey. The girls will go nuts!**

 **[Marinette] Remember the giant baby incident?**

 **[Marinette] FIVE of my friends were helping me try to romance you that day.**

 **[Adrien] ! ! !**

 **[Marinette] So yeah, we don't have to do anything crazy to get their attention. We'll so have it.**

 **[Adrien] I'll meet you in the morning, then, and we'll play it by ear from there?**

 **[Marinette] Perfect! It's a date.**

 **[Adrien] My window's still open, by the way.**

 **[Marinette] Sweet dreams, Kitty. :x**

 **[Adrien] One's talking to me now. :x**

* * *

Marinette rolled over on her back, her eyes closed, with a smile on her face that could've melted a glacier.

Tikki floated over, a little tentatively. "I do need to congratulate you, Marinette, and I mean that. I know just how much you've wanted this! I talked with Adrien while you two were out, and he's just as happy that it happened."

Marinette's eyes opened. "You know, that just occurred to me! You've spent months and months next to him, or listening to me babble on about him endlessly, but you were always either transformed or hidden away and never got to talk to him!"

"He said the same thing, how funny it felt to finally meet me," confirmed Tikki. "He's a sweetheart, but I kind of think you knew that already."

"A fine young man," noted Feliss, who was not about to be left out of this conversation. "And a very good kisser. But I think you knew THAT already."

"I don't have anyone else's to compare his kisses to... but I know what I like," grinned Marinette.

"How are you going to fill your spare time now, Marinette, now that it won't be full of plotting how to win Adrien's heart?" Tikki asked, a little teasingly.

Feliss raised an eyebrow suggestively. "They'll think of... something," she leered.

Marinette giggled, while Tikki rolled her eyes. "They're FOURTEEN, Feliss!" she lectured.

"I know, I know, these are different times," the tigress conceded. "You should have seen her face when we first talked about him, when I asked why Ladybug hadn't consummated things with Chat Noir, then why Marinette wasn't married yet... She looked like she'd just eaten a live toad both times."

Even Tikki laughed hard at that.

"It's actually been refreshing to watch such innocence in action," added Feliss. "They're both so _charming_ that way. Though when she had her eyes shut tight that one night, that took even MY breath away... such a real testament to both their willpower."

Tikki raised a curious eyebrow. "Marinette, just what _did_ I miss while I was out cold?"

Feliss grinned, watching Marinette's face. "You _are_ meant for Tikki, Marinette! You're matching her skin tone now."

* * *

Alya and Nino stood out on the front steps of their school, chatting with their friends before classes started.

"I wonder where Marinette is? She's usually here by now, at least," wondered Alya. "I mean, running late wouldn't be new for her, but she's been better about that lately..."

"That's one good thing about living that close," Nino replied. "If you get held up by things or lose track of time, it's easy to sprint for it."

"Yeah," she agreed. "Yesterday was a pretty big day for her, and I didn't hear from her last night. I wonder if she-"

"HEY." A brash voice disrupted Alya's thought process. "When your FRIEND shows up," Chloé brayed, laying as much contempt as she could on the word friend, "tell her to watch herself today. Especially her hands."

"Ex-CUSE me?" said Alya, turning towards the aspiring diva. _"What_ are you talking about, Chloé?"

"YOU saw her," the blonde snapped. "She got all touchy with my Adriekins yesterday! You saw how uncomfortable she made him."

"Uncomfortable?" said Nino. "If that was uncomfortable, he must've been itching like crazy later, when he -"

"Ah-ah!" Alya interjected, jumping in to cut Nino off. "That's on a need-to-know basis for now, honey. We're not jinxing anything."

"When he WHAT?" Chloé insisted. "Nino, when he WHAT?"

She rolled her eyes when Nino mimed zipping his lips shut. "FINE. I'll ask him myself! His car's coming up right now."

They watched as the car slowed down, approaching the school steps... but kept going, instead of stopping.

"Where is he going? He must've forgotten something, or..." Chloé's voice trailed off as the car pulled up outside the Dupain-Cheng Boulangerie, and she saw Adrien hop out quickly and enter the building. "Huh! He must be getting some... pastries, or something..."

"Or something," smirked Alya. She reached for her phone, watching Adrien's car pull away.

* * *

Adrien entered the bakery to a warm smile from Sabine. "Can I help you with something, young man?" she grinned.

"Actually, I think you can, Mrs. Cheng!" he answered, with a huge grin of his own. "I wanted to come by and pick up the sweetest thing you have today, something that'll make the school day just fly by. What could you recommend?"

"I think I have _just_ the thing you're looking for. I'll be right back." Sabine strolled over to the staircase leading to their house, and called up, "Marinette? You've been special-ordered!"

Her daughter came downstairs, barely touching the ground. "Hi," she breathed, as she approached Adrien. They both started to lean forward for a quick kiss, then stopped themselves, conscious of Sabine's presence.

Sabine pretended to be absorbed in organizing some cash register receipts... but without looking up, she smirked, "If you DON'T, I'll be so disappointed."

A few giggles and a quick peck later, the pair were about to leave for school when Marinette's phone buzzed.

 **[Alya] Hey, be ready! Chloé is in rare form this morning. Something about your touchy hands and her "Adriekins."**

She showed it to Adrien, who laughed and pulled out his own phone to text Alya back...

 **[Adrien]** **If you see Ladybug or Chat Noir around, have them stand by. Chloé might be about to be Akumatized.**

He turned to Marinette and extended his bent arm to her, inviting her to loop hers through it. "Shall we, my lady?" he asked.

"I thought you'd never ask," she said, melting onto him.

As they went through the door, Sabine chuckled to herself. _For a long while there, she really DID think you'd never ask!_

* * *

Alya read Adrien's text message and had to muffle a HUGE laugh, making Chloé stare at her and try to eavesdrop on what she'd received.

"What is it, Alya?" asked Juleka, who was standing nearby.

"Folks... I think it's showtime," Alya cackled. Juleka looked at where Alya's attention was and let out a little gasp, then pulled at Rose's sleeve to get her attention. Gradually, more heads began to turn in that direction.

Sabrina's phone buzzed, unexpectedly.

 **[Alya] You might want to hide right about now.**

 **[Sabrina] Huh? Why?**

 **[Alya] Trust me. You'll thank me later.**

The students watched the bakery door open again... then watched Marinette and Adrien stroll out, arm-in-arm, perfectly content in their closeness and familiarity.

Chloé blinked two, three, four times. Her brain failed to register a tiny "Eep!" sound behind her, or notice some quiet footsteps creeping away. "WHAT is he... She wouldn't dare... He wouldn't... They..." she sputtered to no one in particular, trying to find a rational basis for what she was seeing.

The happy couple walked up the steps and towards the front door, greeting everyone they saw pleasantly, not making a big deal out of themselves. As they got to the front door, Adrien leaned over and pecked Marinette on the cheek, affectionately.

Marinette heard Rose gasp, and imagined streams of little hearts shooting out of both of Rose's ears. A less pleasant sound was an angry voice, calling out "THAT'S JUST SO _WRONG!"_

Adrien turned towards Chloé with a little shrug, only for Marinette to grab hold of his shoulder and turn him around to face her instead. "Actually? She's right about that," she said.

"She is?" said Adrien, confused.

"Yeah! I know we can do _a whole lot better than that_ ," she grinned... and while he knew they weren't _really_ there, just before Marinette leaned into him with a soft and searching kiss, a moment before a screeching noise behind him went up three octaves...

...he could have SWORN he saw a pair of golden glints in Marinette's blue eyes.

* * *

The students settled into the classroom, buzzing loudly amongst themselves. Alya looked like the cat that'd caught the canary, Rose nearly needed to be tied down to her chair, and Marinette got a chuckle from hearing Sabrina saying "What? You were looking for me out there? I thought you were right behind me when I came in!" to an apoplectic Chloé.

To the mild astonishment of several of their classmates, Marinette and Adrien managed to behave in class. Their newfound bond didn't escape the notice of Ms. Bustier, who thought to herself _Well, THAT didn't take long after all!,_ but she didn't have to say a single word to them.

The only moment of interest during class was when Chloé walked to the back of the classroom at one point, and let her fingertips trail along the back of Kim's arm as she walked by him. The word "...Nope!" from Kim and some giggles from nearby witnesses were all she got back from _that_.

* * *

After school, Marinette and Adrien waited outside for a little while to talk with everyone, accept congratulations and explain as much as they could of how "they" finally happened.

Adrien saw his car pull up and squeezed Marinette's hand, softly. "I have the usual practice and things to go do... I'll call you later?"

"I'm counting on it," she grinned. "I have a little errand to run, myself."

She gave him a peck on the cheek, waved as his car pulled away, then started walking in the direction of Master Fu's.

* * *

"Greetings, Marinette!" the old man greeted her, warmly. "Did your other visit go as planned?"

"It did," Marinette replied. "I think we ought to be hearing back about that very soon. I confirmed that she doesn't associate me with Ladybug, and delivered your gift. Somehow I have a feeling she'll make good use of it."

Tikki floated out and added, "There WAS one complication... but Abby handled it quite well. I think she's an excellent choice."

"Hm?" Master Fu asked. "Explain, please?"

Marinette told of the mysterious visitor that Abby had received, inquiring about artwork of Ladybug and Chat Noir that she shouldn't have known about. "I'm 95% sure that it was Nathalie, who's the right-hand woman of Adrien's father," she explained. "From Abby's description alone, I'm positive. We suspected him once before, so either he's adding to his art collection based on the Guardians' book he has..."

"...Or we may have the confirmation we did not want to get," Master Fu finished her sentence. "Have you told Adrien?"

"Not yet. I wanted to do it in private, in person, where I know we won't be overheard."

"Good. Be cautious with this, Marinette," he mused. "We are STILL not certain of this. I would not accuse him lightly, and I would also not want your newfound bliss to be disturbed! Have Adrien keep an eye out for anything strange, but do not have him take action yet. If nothing else, Hawkmoth is not making any unusual moves at the moment... beyond Akumas, anyway... so I am content to observe for now."

"Understood," agreed Marinette.

"I understand that you have something to return to me, as well?" asked Master Fu.

"I do," Marinette said, taking her tiger necklace off but holding it in her hand. Feliss floated out of Marinette's belongings and hovered between the two humans.

"Feliss?" Marinette told her, with a warm smile. "You have changed my life; I want you to know that. MOSTLY for the better, I think," she giggled. "I want to thank you for everything you've done for me."

"It was my honor, child," the tigress grinned. "I've rarely known a spirit as pure as yours, yet hiding such fire within! This world needs its Ladybug and you are perfect for it." She paused before adding, "My slumbers have lasted anywhere from decades to centuries, Marinette. When I am next called upon, you may be an old woman, or you may be long gone from this world... but I truly hope that our paths will cross again."

Marinette's face had a curious expression on it, one that Feliss couldn't read at first glance. "What if..." she asked, "instead of centuries, it was more like a week?"

* * *

Three heads turned rapidly towards hers - two Kwamis' and one Guardian's. "What are you suggesting, Marinette?" asked Master Fu, intrigued.

"I was thinking about this last night, Master... Abby doesn't know I'm Ladybug. She DOES know I'm La Tigresse! So if I'm going to be a continued presence in her life... which yesterday and today made pretty sure of... it would be awfully strange to her if her fuzzy buddy simply _disappeared_ , wouldn't it? Especially if she could use a little guidance with something new in her life! Chat can help, too... but Tigresse is the one she knows best."

She turned back towards Feliss, whose eyes were alight with surprise and interest. "So, I do understand that Master Fu wants Miraculouses locked down when they're not in use, so I can't just KEEP you... and if I did, I think Tikki would throttle me," Marinette smiled. "But that doesn't mean you can't get a weekend pass out of the box when I need you, and I think that I will."

"Your logic seems sound to me. Feliss, are you amenable to this?" asked Master Fu.

"I would like nothing more," Feliss replied, stunned but unimaginably happy. "I am humbled, my child. I thank you!"

"Plus," Marinette giggled, wondering _Why am I saying this out loud?_ , "if I try to use LADYBUG's powers to sneak through Adrien's window late at night, Tikki will give me an earful..."

"...but Feliss will cheer you on and probably want to watch," sighed Tikki. "Somehow I should have seen that coming."

Master Fu looked confused. "But why would you need access to his room? When you two feel frisky, my begonias are _right there_ , out back."

Marinette grinned, good-naturedly, as laughter filled the room. _Never going to live that one down. Never._

* * *

In her loft, Abby Christophe finished her lunch and prepared to return to her painting-in-progress. She had some ideas for the third one in her cat cafe series, which would really bring up its appeal and add some needed color to the bottom portion. If she...

 _...wait._

She stared at the desk at the far end of her studio room and saw something on it that she didn't recognize. _Where did that come from?_

Abby walked over and looked at it, then picked it up. It was a small box, black in color with golden runes on it, roughly hexagonal.

 _Maybe this was something of Marinette's!_ she thought. _She and that other woman were the only ones who've been here since... everything, and I don't remember the woman walking over there._

There was a note next to the box. A phone number was on it, along with a cursive "M." _That answers that, and_ _now I can contact her and let her know it's here. I wonder what it is?_

Abby opened the box...

...and a rush of light made her back away from it, panicking. _OH, NO, NOT AGAIN!_ she thought. _But, wait... THAT light wasn't a butterfly, was it?_

She saw a tiny figure floating amidst the bright light... one with long ears... and a small voice spoke to her:

"This world is full of enemies, Abby Christophe... dangers that may seek you out. But first, they must catch you. Be swift and cunning and full of tricks, and your life may be blessed as never before."

With wonder in her eyes, Abby reached out. "Am I dreaming," she said aloud, "...or am I speaking with a tiny, floating... rabbit?"

* * *

~fin~

(for now, perhaps!)

Thank you for reading.

* * *

AUTHOR'S NOTES, SO UNLESS YOU LIKE A LOT OF RAMBLING BLATHER YOU CAN GO HOME NOW, THANK YOU COME AGAIN

* * *

First off, I have to say this; this story was never supposed to go this long. For the obvious reason that it will be invalidated the moment that the Tiger Miraculous comes out of the box on the real show, I had anticipated this being a short multi-parter, maybe four parts, 25000 words or so, and done. My readers' reactions to Feliss and to the twists and turns inspired me to take it further and even leave the door wide open for more, so I thank you all sincerely... you made this happen, not me.

That said, this was a LOT of fun to write. For one, it's as steamy as I've had Our Heroes get so far, and while I still do not intend to put Aged-Up Miraculous Smut on my resume, what I came up with felt... right this time. They may be taking things only so far, but their youthful hormones _are_ there, and we'll draw a little respectful curtain around THAT.

I'm not the biggest believer in focusing on OCs, but Abby really took on a life of her own. As Psiphon, the poor thing was just _not_ cut out for fighting superheroes at all, and her bravado-turning-into-NOPE! and her tours of duty in Fort Fluffington were so much fun to come up with. As herself, she seemed like someone whom Marinette could really connect with. Since most of my stories aren't connected, this'll close the book on her for a while... but she would be fun to revisit.

As I rambled on around Chapter 5, I felt a tad funny regarding the notion of a not-under-her-own-control Marinette being kissed by Chat Noir, or what both of their feelings would be about that having happened... so I trigger warninged that section. Probably unnecessarily, but I feel better having done it. Better to be laughed at for oversensitivity than yelled at for crossing lines with the underage.

There was one gaffe in this story that I waited to see if anyone would remark upon, and no one did. The Tiger Miraculous, at least according to what is on the Wiki, is not a necklace; it's a harness bracelet. My way out would've been to hand-wave it as someone having strung a necklace chain through the four finger rings over the centurles, since harness bracelets aren't exactly common jewelry in this day and age. Since it's only been seen for, like, half a second in canon I didn't feel too bad about that.

There may actually be some fan-art of sorts coming for this... stay tuned! One is in progress and I might commission another at some point.

The usual sequel disclaimer applies; if it happens, it won't be any time soon. I have another idea in my on-deck circle that has a ton of promise, and I'm dying to get started on that instead. I'd also have to have a strong concept up front for a potential sequel, as I felt that I did for this story. But on the other hand, I can't tease Abby the Rabbie and not deliver, can I?

We'll see. ;)

Thank you as always for reading. Your feedback and praise are always delightful and I never get tired of hearing from you.

\- DFC


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